They Make Us Look Normal
by awesomegirl13
Summary: Sure, the Flock has saved the world. That doesn't mean things are any more normal. When Marauders meet Mutants, you know things are just going to get stranger. Marauder era, and post SWAOES. Give this story a shot. You'll like it! -Awesomegirl13
1. Chapter 1: Headin' Off to Kings Cross

**_They Make Us Look Normal _**

**A/N: Okay, so I've kinda wanted to do a HP/MaxRide crossover for awhile now… Anyways, this is set during Lilly and James's 5th year, and right after Saving The World and Other Extreme Sports. (I honestly don't care about the time difference. Lets just pretend they're both modern day, kay? We're all writers here. We're used to making stuff up.) It's been a few months since I've read either of the books, so if I mess up a few details don't get all "you aren't a real fan!" on me. At least I'm writing! Although, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this right away, I'm just trying it out. (just one more reason for you to review! lemme know what you think!) Anyways, I'm just gonna start now. No one reads these authors notes, right?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, _or_ Harry Potter. **

_Max's POV:_

"Fang. Shut up. Now." I growled through gritted teeth. Sure, those words don't come out of my mouth that often. Fang's about as silent as they get, but I haven't been _this_ angry since… well… since before we took down Itex. "Max," Fang said, with an urgency in his voice that was starting to drive me a little bit crazy. "Look Fang." I replied, totally cutting him off from anything he was about to say. What was I suppose to do? I'm _supposed_ to be the leader. He's supposed to be my right wing man. "I get that you want to settle down, and find a house somewhere, and sip a smoothie. We can do that later, but for right now I just want to figure out all of this weird stuff that's been going on so that I can fix it."

"You don't have to fix everything you know."

I shrieked in frustration. The worst part of it? I kind of felt like he was right. But no, I _needed_ to figure this thing out. In order to do that though, I had to get back to Europe. I swooped down, and flew ahead. I needed to clear my thoughts. I flew lower, and lower, until my wings were just barely starting to graze the top of the water. Then, I shot back up again towards the sun, the sky, and freedom. Last year, I never would have had these problems with Fang, but lately. Well, I don't actually know what happened. I guess the situation has been sort of tense sense the break up and make up just a few short weeks ago.

Maybe I should explain myself a little bit. I haven't exactly given you very much background on how we're able to fly, and other pretty important stuff like that. I'm Max. Mutant freak extraordinaire. Fang is my best friend. Us, plus the rest of our flock, Iggy, Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge, were all part of genetic experiments gone very, very wrong. Or right. We're never too sure on that one. Things can get very bad for us, very quickly. There was a battle a few weeks back, good vs. evil, scientists and the like. You don't really want to hear about that, do you? The important stuff is the stuff that happened afterwards. Strange, impossible things. (Because flying is so totally possible.) We've always been strange. Angel can read minds, breathe under water, mind control. Gazzy has a crazy digestive system, although you can hardly call that a gift. He does have an uncanny ability to mimic voices though. "He does have an uncanny ability to mimic voices though." Gazzy! Shut up. Now. I'm breaking the forth wall, and you're making me lose focus.

Where was I? Oh. Yeah. Iggy's blind, Fang's invisible… sometimes… Oh, and I have a voice in my head that tells me what to do. Do I sound crazy yet? Just wait. Lately, things have been getting much, much weirder. I'm sure there is some way in the weird, weird world to explain why Fang is suddenly talking to snakes, or why weird things keep happening around us. The other day, we saw some odd dude in a dress winking at us. That brings you up to date I think. That's where my voice comes in again. It told me to go back to Europe, and to some place called King's Cross Station. So, that's exactly where I'm taking the rest of the Flock. Fang thought it was a seriously bad idea. I guess we all thought that once we defeated Itex, the voice would go away. It didn't. We still don't know what that means for us.

I flew back over to where the rest of the flock was. Fang had joined them again, and we all flew in awkward silence for a little bit. Iggy, in true Iggy fashion, was the first one to break the silence. "One of the guys from that school we went to that one time said that every time there's an awkward silence a gay baby is born…"

And that's why I hope we never have to go to school again.

_Look Max!_ Angel told me through her creepy mind thing. _Isn't that King's Cross?_

"Guys! We're here!" I shouted, before swooping down again in the middle of the station. I expected the surrounding people to at least stare. After all, the "Incredible Flying Kids!" had been on every news stand in the country. Of course, if what I suspected was true, I'm sure these people have seen weirder things.

_Max._ Uck. the voice again. What now? Come to give me anymore time saving advice? Cooking tips? Wild goose chases to go on? _Platform 9 ¾ . Run into the wall between nine and ten. That will get you as far as you need to go for now. _

Great. As if I wasn't crazy enough, now my voice was telling me to run through walls.

"Max?" Fang asked me, coming up from behind. I flipped around, and snapped "What?" He didn't even flinch. "What did it say?" He asked. I tried to play innocent, "What did what say?" He looked at me for awhile, with that _just because I'm not Angel doesn't mean I don't know what you're thinking_ look. "The voice. Now we're gonna run through some walls. Just get the others to do what I do." And with that, I took a breath, braced myself, and ran straight into the wall. I expected some pain, not too much, but I didn't expect to feel like I'd just run through strawberry jello. I opened my eyes, and sure enough I had run _through _the wall. Soon, the rest of the flock followed.

"Whoaaa! That was _so cool!_" Gazzy yelled. "Shhhh!" I shushed, more forcefully than I should have. It's not my fault I've been a bit high strung lately. I signaled for the others to follow me, then hurried onto the big train with _Hogwarts Express_ written on the side, and hoped that I wouldn't have to hear some funny comment from Gazzy or Iggy about riding in a train with "Hogwarts" written on the side.

"…And of course, my father is planning on taking it up with the Ministry about all of the mudbloods they let into Hogwarts. They might as well let Muggles tour the place. It's as if…" I didn't wait to hear anymore. I didn't exactly enjoy the tone the snotty sounding boy was using, so I motioned the others into an empty car. I didn't know what my voice was trying to do, but if it explained why Iggy broke the glass on a store front window by thinking too hard, or why Nudge has suddenly stopped talking, then I am all for it.

_Angel's POV:_

I don't pretend to know what Max is trying to do. Sure, I can hear her thoughts, but I can't hear the voice. And, a secret between me and you? The others seem to get stronger and stronger abilities every day, but for some reason I feel mine weakening towards them. I guess I'm not as omnipotent as I pretend to be. Max says she knows what she's doing, but that's not the feeling she gives me. Oh. Did I forget to mention something else important? Well, I guess you could say I'm gaining a new ability. One that I haven't told the others about. I don't plan to. I've been getting feelings lately. It's actually not too different from anything I've had before now, but I've been able to better sense emotions. Max acts like she knows exactly what she's doing, all of the time. Truth is, she doesn't feel so confident. She feels more like she should know what she's doing, but doesn't.

Fang's been angry a lot more. Frustrated with Max occasionally, but mostly angry with himself. It's like he thinks he failed at something. He's always been silent, but I've always been able to feel and hear his thoughts. Lately they've been getting louder, and louder. He wants a voice.

I haven't even been able to get through to Nudge. Normally, I just don't enjoy listening to her thoughts. They're too disjointed and random. It sends my brain into overload. Lately however… Well, I haven't even been able to get through. It's like she's trying to block everything out.

It's pretty easy to tell that we're all falling apart. We are running out of time. See, that's the thing. I've been feeling danger lately. Not that I've been feeling dangerous, or anything else. It's like. It's like. Well. Things aren't well, and they're about to get a whole lot worse. I can just feel it.

**A/N: Yay! Finished chapter one. What'd you think? I should be getting into the HP stuff next chapter. Let me know what you think, and if I should continue it or not. Your opinion matters! Thanks guyz,**

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	2. Chapter 2: This is a Maxtatorship

**A/N: I decided to write another chapter after all, because of you guys… Thanks to nudgeriderox, bluedolphin12, and ConstantShippingPrincess for being the first people to comment on the first chapter! That made me supersuper happy. Okeydoke, on with the story! *insert grinning smiley face here***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or Maximum Ride. If I did, I'd have to be some weird combination of JP and JKR… that would be strange…**

_Max's POV_

"Max, I'm not too sure about this." Fang whispered to me, once we sat down and tried to look natural. "Fang, just shut up and trust me." He looked around nervously, but then seemed to relax a little as he leaned against his seat. I looked over at Nudge. It was a little bit unnerving how she was acting lately. It used to be that every time she was around, it was The Nudge Channel: All Nudge, all the time. Now it's totally different, and I can't seem to figure it out.

Hey guys, I'm just going to look around a little bit, see what information I can find." I said to the flock, then I stepped out of the door and into the crowded corridor. Owls were flying overhead, and sparks were flying out of the thin sticks everyone was waving around. I squirmed my way past several people, looking into each individual compartments as I walked through. Of course, being stealthy secretive me, I was soon spotted as a stranger by one of the kids buying candy from a trolley thingymajiggy. "Hey, who is _she_?" I heard him "whisper" to the boy next to him. They both looked my way. "Shoot!" I muttered under my breath, and slipped into the compartment I was in front of. They must've lost interest, because they soon turned back to what they were doing and forgot all about me. I sighed in relief, then turned around to face a group of boys all staring at me.

"Umm… Hi?" I squeaked out awkwardly. I looked around, and noticed they were all around my age. Just as I was considering turning around, one of them finally spoke. "Hi. I'm uhh.. I'm James, and this is Sirius, uhh… Moony, err. I mean Remus, and Peter." Strange. "I'm Max. What kind of a name is Sirius anyways?" The boy whose name was apparently named Sirius sighed, and said, "It's actually not that strange of a name compared to yours. Max? Isn't that a guy name?"

"It can go either way. Besides, it's short for Maximum." A squirly boy in the back, I assume it was probably Peter, let out a giggle. Seriously, a giggle. I glared at him. His laughter fell away, and he shrunk back a little in his seat. Honestly? I don't know why I felt I should defend myself against these boys. They were obviously pigheaded jerks, and I shouldn't waste my time. Right? Remus looked at me for a little bit, as if making sure I wouldn't turn out to be an enemy, then said "Well? Are you going to sit down?" I did. Then James spoke again. "I don't remember seeing you before. Fifth year, right? Are you a Hufflepuff?" Hufflepuff? Fifth year? What kind of place did I get myself into.

"I.. Uh.." Come on Max, say something intelligent. "Yeah. Uhh, Fifth Year Hufflepuff." That answer seemed good enough for them, and they just continued whatever conversation they were having before I came in.

"No, I'm Sirius."

"Enough with the name puns Padfoot, no one cares."

"I'm just saying, we're fifth years now, we can't continue with the simple Jinxes like last year. We need to pull the greatest prank in Hogwarts History."

"We could get caught you know."

"Oh please Moony, it's just Snivellus. Anyways, like I was saying. We can get all of Slytherin if we try hard enough. It's a new year!"

"Fair point."

"Maybe we should just start out simple."

"No way."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Good."

I found out no new information from this pointless conversation, so I got up to leave as soon as I found the chance. Sirius saw me leaving though, and felt it his personal responsibility to say goodbye in the most sarcastic way possible. Honestly, sarcasm _is_ the weakest insult after all. "Leaving so soon, Maximum? What a shame. Well, farewell my dear Hufflepuff, and may your fifth year be a great one." I rolled my eyes. These guys were losers, obviously. "Bye." Said Peter, barely audible in the corner. I opened the door, walked away, and headed back to my own compartment.

"Find anything?" Asked Fang as I walked in. "No. Not really. There were some jerks in the compartment next to us though. They kept using weird words, like Hufflepuff, and snivellus, and padfoot."

"Hufflepuff?" Iggy asked. "Yeah." I replied. "Hufflepuff."

_Iggy's POV:_

It's not that I doubt Max's leadership or anything, I just… well… think she's being a bad leader. "Max, are you sure you know what we're doing? I vote we go back to America. Maybe we could stay with your mom in Arizona or something." Nudge asked. She sounded very un-Nudge like, and it was the only thing she'd said all day.

"We just got back from Arizona." Max replied, shutting her up. "Besides, this isn't a democracy. This is a Maxtatorship."

I sighed. I would try to point out the fact that we're on a train filled with weirdo's, headed to an unknown destination, and that there is no possible way she knows what she's doing, but obviously it wouldn't help very much. She'd pull the plug on any of our ideas anyway. If this was a "Maxtatorship" we should hold a rebellion. It's like she doesn't even really care about us anymore. I could blow up this entire train, and she wouldn't even care about the Flock, she'd just be upset that we wouldn't get to our destination. If she really knew what was best for us, she'd take us all back to America where we belonged. The last time we were in Europe, they were trying to "retire" us. Sure, we defeated Itex, but how do we know it won't rebuild itself again? This is a bad idea, and everyone knows it but Max. The train slowly came to a stop, and Max hopped out of her seat and said, "Come on guys. Lets get out of here." Then we hopped out of the train, and took to the sky. It felt amazing to be in the sky again, and Gaz soon flew over to me, and we let the others fly ahead a bit. "Ig?" He asked, "Yeah? I replied. "There's a big castle in front of us. It's old looking, but if you look down to wear some people are getting into some carriages down below, you can see some pretty girls getting into one." I've trained him well. "Go on. What do they look like?" I asked him. "Well, one has red hair, with green eyes, but following behind her is another guy, with some messed up black hair and…"

**A/N: Another chapter done! Lemme know what you think. I'd love to hear it. I'm pretty sure you can guess who the red haired girl is…. **

**Anyways, aren't you proud of me? I'm kind of trying to update daily. Lets see how long that lasts. Oh, and sorry the chapter is a bit shorter... Of course, you can always review and fave to give me inspiration. 8)**

**Thanks guyz! **

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	3. Chapter 3: Wedding Flowers

**A/N: Woohoo! Back again. I'm on fiiiirrreeeee. Just like Katniss! (sorry, Hunger Games is taking over my brain…) **

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy this new chapter! I'm crankin them out pretty quickly, to make up for the failure to update that will probably soon come. So yeah… Oh, and a POV change in this chapter. *gasp!* Yes, yes. I'm mixing it up a little bit. **

**Disclaimer: Ahh! Make it go away! Do I really have to say it again? *sigh.* I do not own. Never will. **

_Lily's POV: _

"James. Shut up. Now." I growled through gritted teeth. Yes, growled. I do admit, I've never been much of a growler, but sometimes James Potter drives me absolutely _crazy_.

"Oooh. Rejected!" Taunted Sirius, so I shot him a look also. "James," I said, calming myself down a bit, "You are a complete and utter freak, and I will never date you." For some reason, Sirius took this as his personal queue to speak. "Speaking of freaks, what was with that Hufflepuff girl, James?" Well, well, well. Maybe with some luck James might fall for the girl. "Hufflepuff girl?" I asked. "Yeah." Sirius replied. "She's a Fifth year, like us. She seemed like a total freak though. Her name was Maximum." Hmm. I know almost all of the Hufflepuff Fifth Year girls, because I have Herbology with most of them, yet I've still never heard of Maximum. "Huh." Was all I ended up saying, but of course James had to turn the conversation back to me and him. "So anyways Lily-Flower, I was just thinking about what kind of flowers we should have at our wedding."

"James…"

"I was thinking maybe we should get some purple flowers. Ooh! Or Lily Flowers! Maybe some Petunias. I've always loved Petunias."

"NO!" I yelled back at him. "Not Petunias. I refuse to have Petunias at my wedding."

"So you accept my proposal?"

"What proposal?"

"Our wedding proposal."

"NO! Definitely not!"

"But you're helping pick out our wedding flowers."

"He's right Lil's"

"Don't call me Lil's"

"All right Lily-Flower"

"Sirius, Shut up."

"So… About our wedding."

"James, do you _want_ to show up to the Sorting Ceremony in a full body cast? People will start thinking _you're_ the Gryffindor Ghost."

"Fine. No Petunias. But I still think it would be cute to get some Lily's."

"James. I'm going to count to ten. One"

"Maybe some roses too."

"Two."

"And we can mix in some baby's breath."

"Four."

"Speaking of baby's, we should name our first one Harry."

"Six."

"What do you think Sirius?"

"Eight."

"I think Lily's about to get _super _angry at you Prongs."

"Ten."

Of course, I wasn't going to risk getting in trouble for using magic outside of class before we even _got_ to Hogwarts. However, that black eye matches his robe really well. Sometimes, I think I wouldn't mind Azkaban that much if it meant using the killing curse….

_Max's POV:_

"Shh! Guys, lets land here." I whisper, landing right on the other side of a large lake. Across the way I could barely hear someone yelling, "First years! First years over here!" Apparently I'm a fifth year, so that didn't affect me. Of course, I don't even go to this place, so it doesn't really matter that much. We slid through the doors of the place, and stealthily crept through the large hall. Like a boss.

Of course, I wasn't exactly sure what I was trying to achieve, so it's no surprise that we got caught. "Well, well, well. What have we here? And without robes also. Well, you are going _straight_ to Dumbledore." Shoot. I don't know who this Dumbledore dude is, but he didn't sound like the type of person I'd be interested in seeing. What kind of name is Dumbledore anyways? Isn't that, like, German or something? We walked down the long hallway, and I could make out Gazzy and Iggy whispering something behind me. Something about explosives. Of course. "No talking back there!" The man said. Angel giggled. _Angel!_ I thought, _Good guy, bad guy? Are you getting anything?_ I waited for a bit, while she tried to figure things out, then she replied by telling me, _He's a good guy. Just a little grumpy. I think we're safe for now. _Good. Relief. I should feel relieved right now, correct? Of course, I'm not exactly on the good mood side of the scale, so I swear if these people tried _anything_…

Before I knew it, we were at Dumbledudes office, or whatever it was. The man said "Acid Pops" and a door opened. We walked into a room, filled with… well… for lack of a better word, strange. Funny. I'm not sure _what _happened to my vocabulary lately, but the only good word to describe anything around here is strange. Unless I decide to start using show-offy words like "peculiar" and "oddity."

A man was standing in the room. He was old. Very old. With a beard and everything, and when he looked at me, he actually _looked_ at me. Saw me. As if he knew me. "Maximum." He stated. It freaked me out a little bit, the way he said my name. He said it in the same cold way the white coats used to say my name. "Iggy. Gazzy. Angel. Nudge. Fang." For a few seconds there was a seriously awkward silence, and I was starting to flash back to what Iggy told us earlier, and how 20 years from now there will be several grown up children having to let their parents know why they've never dated before… Then Dumbledude said, in his strangest (oops! I did it again!) voice, "I've been waiting a long time to talk to you."

"Umm… hi?" Gazzy said, from the back of the room, in a small sounding voice.

"Yes, I'm sure you're finding the events of your day very strange indeed so far." Good, so we're on the same page. "I hope you find the explanation I'm about to give you a suitable one. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you are all Witches and Wizards. Hogwarts is a seven year school, beginning for kids Eleven years old. Most of the children here are from wizarding families, however some, like you six, come from Muggles, that means humans, and are gifted with special abilities."

"So this is a 'special' school, for 'special' people? So this is it? I'm finally at the insane asylum?" I joked. No one thought it was funny. Huh. Maybe I'm losing my touch. He cleared his throat, then continued. "Max, you are around fifteen, correct? You would be in Fifth year, as would Iggy and Fang. Nudge, you would be in Second year. You will be, if you choose to attend this school."

"Wait," I interrupted. "But we weren't here when we were eleven, so how can I be here now?"

"Your genetic testing only made your powers stronger, meaning you are some of the most powerful muggle-born wizards in the world at the moment. We've been trying to find you for years, but you've been hard to track." Duh. "I'm not sure what led you here, but now that you are here I would love for you to attend this school, however late you may be, and we will keep you safe, and keep your… secret." I suppose he means our wings. "I'm not saying it will be easy, you will need to play several years worth of catch up. I'm sure it won't be too difficult for you, but I will give you the books you need to study, and you will attend regular classes and attend tutoring sessions." Great. Just what we need, a _school._

"We'll need to talk about it." I said, then motioned the rest of the flock into a huddle. "So?" I asked. "What do you think?"

"Oh look. The great Maximum Ride actually wants _our_ lowly opinion?" Iggy commented, in a tone that I wasn't exactly thrilled with. "Oh please," I replied. "Would you like me to make all the decisions? I'm not sure if this is the best idea, and I'm wondering if you guys are up for it." I shouldn't even have to be explaining myself to them. "I think you guys should." Angel commented. "What about you and Gazzy?" I asked her. "We'll be fine. We can go to Arizona with your mom. I really think you guys should do this… I can just feel it."

"I don't know guys. I'm not too sure about this joint."

"I think we should." Leave it to Fang to undermine me… again.

"Fine." I turned to Dumbledore. "We're in."

"Perfect. Of course, if you had been here with the rest of the students when they came in, you could have been in the sorting ceremony. Of course since you prefer stalking through the halls…." He didn't bother to continue. Instead, he pulled this weird hat off the table. "This is the sorting hat. It sorts you into houses. The houses are based on personality. The brave and courageous belong in Gryffindor. The clever belong in Slytherin. The loyal belong in Hufflepuff. The intelligent in Ravenclaw. This hat sorts you into the house you belong in." Then he placed it on my head. And it talked. Not even kidding, it _talked_. "GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted. Well then, guess I'm brave. Then he placed it on Iggy's head. "GRYFFINDOR!" Good. Same house, I guess the flock has a pretty good chance of staying together. Not that it matters, we'll probably end up bailing soon. Then he placed the hat on Nudge's head. It thought. For a long time. Of course, it shouldn't have surprised me that the hat could talk and think… compared to some other things… "RAVENCLAW!"

"What?" I yelled, before I could stop myself. "No. Nonononono. She doesn't belong in Ravenclaw!"

"What's wrong Max? Think I'm too stupid for Ravenclaw? For your information, I had straight A's in our three months of school. I like reading. Not that you'd know." I was stunned. What had gotten into them? Everyone was silent. I didn't even realize the hat had been placed on Fang's head. "SLYTHERIN!" It shouted, and I felt the floor drop from under me. Slytherin? What does that mean for me? Us? Before I even realized what was happening, an Owl was being sent out to my mom explaining the situation, and Angel and Gazzy were hugging us goodbye. No. No this is going to fast. I need to say goodbye. I don't know what's happening. I'm confused. I'm Maximum Ride. I'm confident. Fang. Nudge. Angel. Gazzy.

_It's okay Max. It's going to be alright._

I hope you're right Angel.

**A/N: Whew! That one took me a loooong time to write. A nice, really long chapter for you guys. So, in honor of my four hours of writing this chapter, review for me! It might give me the inspiration to write quicker! *insert smiley face here***

**Thanks guyzez!**

**-Awesomegirl13 **

**PS. Tell you're friendssssssssses. (whoaaaa, I sound like Gollum!) **


	4. Chapter 4: Yeah, Names Here Are Weird

**A/N: Happy Friday the 13th guys! *cough* back for my daily chapter! Although technically I uploaded one this morning…. but that doesn't count, because I wrote it last night. You know what? I really like writing crossovers. It's like, mixing two elements together to create a compound! Like chemistry! I like chemistry!... no… actually, I don't. Still…. Anywho, I digress. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Just a warning, I switch POV's a lot in this one… **

**Disclaimer: I don't own. *sobs* **

_Max's POV:_

Great. Look what you got yourself into Max, you are so, so smart. Guess that's what you get for listening to the little voice inside your head. Now you're going to a _school._ You have _extra_ work to make up. And, it's a school for _Witches _and _Wizards_. What's wrong with this picture? Oh. Right. You _should_ have listened to Fang and gone vacationing somewhere while sipping a smoothie, but no. No no no no no. You have to fix everything, and now you are trying to figure out why you are talking to yourself.

Maybe I really am crazy.

Ha. Or not.

"So anyways, right past this painting of the Fat Lady is the Gryffindor common room. That's where you'll spend most of your free time. The password to get it this week is _Fuzzing Wuzbee_."

"Fuzzing Wuzbee?"

"Yes. Fuzzing Wuzbee."

At the moment, Iggy and I are being shown around the place we'll be living for the next few months, by a ginger named Lily. I never believed the whole "gigers have no soul" thing before, but now I'm not too sure. This girl seems _super_ boring. Of course, Iggy didn't feel the same way as me. He's been spending the entire tour staring at the back of her head. Or at least, doing the blind equivalent of staring. Boys.

"Anyways, this stairway leads to the boy's dorms, and this way leads to the girl's dorms. Come on Max, you can follow me. Iggy, you can just go up there and look around a bit I guess." The silence between me and Lily as we walked up the stairway as pretty deafening. Finally, just to break the silence, I asked, "So… Dumbledore told you about us?" She looked confused for a moment, and I started thinking that maybe I blew our cover, before she said "He said you guys had to come in a lot later than most people, but that I couldn't ask questions." Huh.

Apparently, I'd be sleeping in a bed next to a girl named Margaret. Margaret is a very happy person. All the time.

"So you're new, huh? We've never had a new girl in our year before. I mean, I'm sure it's happened before once or twice, but it seems so unprecedented! You seem really nice though, so I'm pretty glad you're in Gryffindor." Yeah. This'll be a _real_ fun year.

_Iggy's POV:_

There is something about Lily Evans. Seriously, she's like, amazing. I'm pretty sure she's the same girl that Gazzy was pointing out to me earlier, and she _totally_ ate up the whole "I'm blind… and scared.." act I use with most girls. There's just something about her though, she's just so… _real._ Besides, her voice is to die for. She smells like her namesake. Lily's. Of course, it's not like I actually know what Lily's smell like, but I'm just guessing here.

I walked up the stairs into the room marked for the Fifth Year Boys, and saw a group of boys joking around right away when I walked in. "Oh hey. Who're you?" Asked one of them, as soon as I walked in. "Uhh. I'm Iggy. New kid. Who're you?"

"New kid? I didn't know we could get new kids…"

"I'm just special like that." I said, hoping they wouldn't press further. I guess Dumbledore didn't think this far ahead.

"Well, I'm Prongs, that's Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Longbottom." Strange names. Hopefully they're nicknames. I mean, at least _I_ have an good excuse for having a cool name. "James," Said the one called Moony, "Maybe our real names?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm James, that's Remus, Peter, Sirius, and Frank. But Frank doesn't matter as much as the rest of us."

"Umm, thanks?"

"No problem Longbottom."

"So." Said Sirius, "Tell us about yourself. Do you fly much?" Oh shoot, oh shoot. They know. How do they know? So much for normality. "On a broom." He continued. "James here is a Chaser." Oh… "Chaser?" I asked. "Oh please Sirius," Remus said, "He's obviously muggle-born. He's probably never even heard of Quiditch. What do you do for fun?"

"I start fires. Make bombs. Have fun." I said, without even pausing to think. "Oooh," Laughed James, "I think you'll fit in perfectly with the rest of us… So tell us more about these bombs you're making."

_Max's POV:_

Need to get out of this room. Ugh, I need to talk to Fang. "So anyways, I still kind of think the pink nail polish looks better with your skin tone, but the red and gold combo _is_ Gryffindor colors after all." Margaret rambled on, reminding me a lot like the old Nudge. "Hey," I said, as soon as she paused for a breath. "Look, I really need to go.. uhh.. do some makeup work. Sorry! Maybe later?" I lied flawlessly. She looked a little sad to let her walking talking dress up doll leave, but I needed to get out of there before she started trying to do my makeup. I hate hanging out with other girls my age… not that I've ever gotten the opportunity to do it before. For the first time, I started to feel a little thankful I have such a messed up life. Of course, as soon as I walked out into the common room, I saw Iggy lighting fires with those jerks I saw earlier today. "Iggy!" I shouted, waving him over. "Yeah?" He asked, as soon as he got within earshot. "What are you doing with those guys?" I whispered angrily. "We're friends now." He replied. I took a deep, frustrated breath before saying, "Well we need to get Fang and Nudge. Today's the day we're supposed to get our.. uhh… our wands. And books. And broomsticks… and stuff."

Fang. Nudge. God, I'm not going to get a chance to see them much in this place, am I?

_Fang's POV:_

"So. You're name's Fang, huh? You're a new kid, huh?"

"Oh please, Rodolphus. Do you even _know_ how stupid you sound right now? I'm Bellatrix, but _you_ can call me Bella."

"Hey, who's this?"

"Buzz off Severus, it's Fang. He's new."

"He's new? That doesn't happen much, does it?"

"Shut up Sev. No one wants to hear what you have to say."

"Fine then."

"So anyways, I'm guessing you don't know much about this place, do you? Well, here in Slytherin, the absolute _best_ house, you have to be pretty careful about who you trust. We stick together though."

"Hey, where'd he go?"

"Did he just disappear?"

"Hey, uhh, how do I get to Gryffindor from here? I'm not exactly sure of my way around, and I have a friend in there."

"Oh look, there he is."

"No duh Malfoy."

"Gryffindor? No way. There's no such thing as a _friend_ in Gryffindor. Stick with us, we'll show you how it works."

"Okay… uhh… Bella."

"There ya go. You'll fit in with us in no time."

**A/N: Oooh… Fang in Slytherin? Sounds pretty scary. Fang's part is in all dialog, with him only talking, like… twice… but I figure it works, because he's always seemed like more of a listener. Anywho, not much happened in this chapter, but it builds relationships… and relationships are important. Anyways, if you like this story, then Review! If you don't like this story, then Review! If you have any ideas of what you want to see happen in this story, Review! If you want to let me know how much you love me, Review! (And I'll give you virtual cookies…) Thanks guyz! **

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	5. Chapter 5: Iggy's Brother

**A/N: Yay! I've been keeping up with my daily updates! aaand: . **

***ahem* Anyways, hope you like this next chapter! I'm actually writing this last night. *whoaaa* but I'm not planning on posting it until this morning… *whoaaa* It's like… time travel or something. **

**Disclaimer: No. Don't even go there.**

_Lily's POV:_

"Hey guys," I said casually, while sitting in a chair in the commons room with the new Care of Magical Creatures book. "Where's Max?"

"Oh!" Exclaimed Sirius in an overly loud voice. "You mean that new girl? Iggy's brother?"

"You mean sister?"

"Uhh. Yeah. Sister, sorry. Yeah, she went to go find her brother Fang or something like that."

"Isn't that Hagrid's Dog's name?"

"Yup."

"Strange."

"Yeah."

The conversation had just died down enough for me to start reading my book, when I noticed something strange on the table in front of me. Now, I don't usually enjoy meddling in Marauder business, since it usually leaves me angry or injured, but I couldn't help but be curious. "What is that?" I asked. Awkwardness. Then James, always the charismatic leader, said "Uh. Umm. It's. Uhh. Umm. A.." I decided to put him out of his misery by giving him a little hint. "It's a Muggle bomb, right?"

Peter looked like a deer in headlights, Remus looked like he was trying to decide how much trouble he would get into, Sirius looked completely unfazed, and James was just staring at my lips. Boys. "So," I said, as innocently as I could, despite knowing that I could totally hold this over their heads. I like getting them into trouble. "Where'd you get that bomb from?"

"Oh! Iggy taught us how to make it!" Peter yelled, louder than he should have. All three boys turned to glare at him, and he shrunk back a little in his seat. "Sorry." He said afterwards, quietly. "Oh there's no need to be sorry Peter." I said, "Iggy's the new guy I showed around, right? Max's brother? He seems nice… and kind of cute." Just as I expected, James tensed up and started getting red with anger.

"But Lily-Flower!"

"Don't call me that."

"I thought you loved me!"

"I never said that."

"He's not worthy of you!"

"And you are?"

"Shut up Sirius."

"He's a loser!"

"I thought he was your friend. Teaching you to make bombs and all."

"Oh please, Lily-Flower!"

"Don't call me that."

"Marry me!"

"We're only fifteen James."

"James, you look like an idiot right now."

"Shut up Moony."

"Where's Iggy?" I asked, breaking away from this annoying conversation, that I've had a million times too many.

"Oh." Said James, recovering from his desperateness… or whatever you call it. "He's getting school supplies."

Just after he said that, the door opened and in came Max, followed by Iggy. "Later Fang, later Nudge!" Called Iggy, before stepping inside. "Hey Ig." I said, just knowing it would make James furious. It did. His eyes darted between me, and Iggy, and Max also looked pretty mad. Glaring daggers at me. I mean, they need to chill. All I did was say his name. "Oh," He replied, "Hey Lil's." Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Hahahaha! James, your face!" Then I left the room laughing.

On the way out of the room though, I could see Max opening the door again, quietly shutting it from Iggy, and racing down the hall.

_Max's POV:_

I need to catch up with Nudge, and I know exactly where she'll be. I race over to the library, and rush into the room. "Nudge!" I yell, only to be shushed by the librarian. I swear, everyone who works here is _just so old._ "Hi Max." She says back to me, with no love in her voice whatsoever. "Nudge. Tell me what's gotten into you. Now."

She looked up at me with those "I'msoinnocentwhatdoyoumean?" eyes. "You haven't been talking. Like, at all. You've pretty much totally deserted the rest of the flock. Plus, you've been way to distant lately. You're spending time in a _library_ for Pete's sake!"

"Pete's sake? Really?" Is all she says in reply. Then we sit there. Just sit there. For a long time. Then she breaks the silence. "You know what Max, maybe I just haven't been talking to you as much, because I got tired of you never listening. I never deserted the flock, _you've_ deserted the flock. Pulled it a part, feather by feather. You like being in control _so much_ that when one little thing goes wrong, you have a total freak out meltdown. So yeah. Maybe I do have nothing to say to you anymore." Then she got up, and started packing up her books. She was going to leave! In the middle of our conversation. Rude. Halfway out, however, she turns back to me and says "Don't forget Max, you have 5 books to read before classes start tomorrow." Crud.

I spent the rest of the night reading, and thinking over what Nudge had said. I am not a happy camper.

_Fang's POV:_

"So," Bella asked me, while we were hanging out in the Slytherin Commons Room. "What's with that sneaky invisibility thing you have going on there?" I'd actually grown pretty close to the rest of the Slytherins on my first day there. I'm actually a little surprised at how quickly they accepted my into their tight group. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Lucius, and Narcissa pretty much make up most of the Slytherin Fifth Years, except for the greasy kid, Severus I think his name was. He's sort of an outcast, but I kind of feel sorry for him. At least, I might if he wasn't so obnoxious. It's hard for me to deal with Rodolphus as it is.

"Well," I replied to Bellatrix's question. "I'm not too sure. One day, it just happened." For some reason, I've found that I can talk a lot easier around these people, than I ever could with Max. It's like they actually enjoy my company, and care what I have to say. Although talking hurts most of the time, and it's pretty nice to just sit back and listen to the banter sometimes.

It would be a lot easier to do that though, if it weren't for Bella's constant flirting.

"So anyways Fang, this Max Gryffindor girl… She your girlfriend?"

"No… No, not at all."

"Good."

**A/N: It's a pretty short chapter, but oh well. You guys love me anyways, right? Right? Besides, the word count is up to 7182, and there's only five chapters… Okey doke, later guyz, an don't forget to review for me! **

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	6. Chapter 6: What's that about Hogsmeade?

**A/N: Yay! I'm back again. This whole update daily on a regular schedule thing is totally knew to me…. **

**So anyways, has anyone seen Starkids new musical yet? Yup… here I am… in my authors note… just makin small talk… Well, shall I write the story now? Okay then.**

**Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own anything but my own awesomeness… that made no since…**

_Nudge's POV: _

I feel more at home at Hogwarts then I have in a really long time. It's really nice to be able to settle down, and actually stay somewhere _without_ fearing for my life all the time. And I don't have to worry about the rest of the Flock thinking I've gone psycho all the time. It's a new start for me. New friends, a new life, new personality. Yeah, sure, I'm still me, but still… Even I can see something in me has changed since all that happened at Itex headquarters. I saw stuff there, horrid things that I hope to never, _ever_ see again. Those mutations… and the realization that we're no better than them. It disgusts me that it didn't even worry the others. That's when I realized that maybe we didn't no each other as much as we said we did.

And Max. Our leader, totally falling apart without _something_ or _someone _to save. So yeah, maybe finding this place was a breath of fresh air for me. I'd never actually had the opportunity to learn so much before. I've already gotten a really good start on catching up with the other second years, and we haven't even started classes yet. This weekend went super quickly, but I guess I can credit that to the fact that I am actually having _fun._

"Hey Nudge!" My friend Susan said, as she was running to catch up with me. Susan is second year too, and she sleeps in the bed next to me. Just last night, we were able to stay up almost all night laughing and hanging out together. She's told me a lot about what it's like being a wizard, and some of the stuff she's told me is actually pretty cool. Like, the history and stuff. And the Ravenclaw Ghost, the Gray Lady. "I just found out the date for the next Hogsmeade weekend! You should totally come with."

"Hogsmeade?" I asked, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Hogsmeade is the town nearest here." She explained to me. "Every few months or so we are allowed to go hang out there and stuff. It's super cool. They have a bunch of neat shops and stuff." Sounds like a lot of fun to me! "I'll be there!"

I wonder if Max and the others will be there… Maybe I'll run into them and—No. No Nudge, don't even go there. Stop thinking about them all of the time! You're happier without them. You don't care about them. They don't care about you; they never cared about you. You have new friends. A new life. Like Susan, and Gilderoy (even though he is an annoying wanna-be, at least he's nice to you, and seems to like you for you,) and Andromeda. Even if Gilderoy is in Hufflepuff, along with Andy. You can do fine without Max and Iggy and Fang—thank you very much. Just forget it, and soon enough they'll forget you. A new beginning.

_Max's POV:_

"Hogsmeade weekend?" I asked Lily, while she was helping me study. After five years at this place, she really seems to know her stuff. "Yeah." She replied. "Hogsmeade is the town nearest here," She explained to me. "Every few months or so we are allowed to go hang out there and stuff. It's super cool. They have a bunch of neat shops and stuff." Sounds fun to me. I bet Fang and Nudge will be there. Maybe we can all go together! I'll run it by Iggy and see what he thinks later. After several hours full of potions and fairies, a group of loud and annoying boys come running down the stairs.

"So Iggy, are you saying that all we need to do is spark a flame next to here, and it makes a perfect stink bomb?" Sirius asked Ig. "Yeah, and I was thinking it would be the _perfect_ prank on Slytherin." Iggy replied. Slytherin. That was the house Fang was in, wasn't it?

"Ig, that's the house Fang is in, right?" I asked him. Sirius looked at me, as if he felt sorry for me. "Eww, your brother is in Slytherin? Man, I feel your pain. All of my family has been in Slytherin." He said, and I couldn't help but wonder what the heck was wrong with Slytherin. "And that's a problem, how?" I asked.

"Oh." James spoke up. "You must not know about Slytherin, cause you're new. All Slytherin's are sneaky, mostly evil, and annoying as heck. Pretty much all Slytherin's are jerks and mean girls…"

"I'd use stronger language to describe my dear cousin Bella." Sirius joked. All the guys laughed. Remus looked at me thoughtfully, and said "Good. I see Lily is helping you study." Sirius laughed again, and said "Here's all you need to know: All you need to do to get a good grade in Slughorns class, is tell him how good his hair looks. I saw that you were signed up for divination, so just make stuff up for that one. Professor Bins is boring, but he mostly teaches straight out of the book. You can sleep through his class for all anyone cares. You can do all of your homework in Charms class, and have it ready to turn in by Transfiguration. That's what we always do." Iggy laughed, and I decided that these boys might not be so bad after all. "I'm rolling my eyes Ig!" I laughed. Then Lily caught Iggy's eye, and he couldn't see her staring but apparently James could and it all went downhill from there.

"Lily-Flower!" He said, trying to catch her attention. "I heard about the Hogsmeade weekend. Will you go with me?"

"Eww. No. I'm hanging out with Sev. Besides, I'd rather drink a glass full of poison then go to Hogsmeade with you."

"Slytherin filth? Really? You deserve better Lils."

"Don't call me Lil's."

Then, James shot a killer glare at Iggy, which of course he was oblivious too and couldn't see how angry James was at him. I guess James is still slow on the fact that no matter how angry of a glare you're giving him, Iggy still can't see you. After that, all the guys went upstairs, and it was just me and Lily again. "So…" I said, trying to be as casual as possible, even though I've been wondering since we came here what the deal was with her and James. "What's going on between you and James?"

"Absolutely nothing. Except for the fact that I hate him, and he won't leave me alone. Seriously, guys are such idiots sometimes." My brain immediately went to Fang, and how he hasn't spoken to me since we got our wands and school supplies yesterday. "Yeah." I agreed. "They can be."

**A/N: Yup, another chapter done. And don't worry, pretty soon I'll move away from the relationship drama, and a little more on the plot thickening. Review and tell me what you think so far! 8-D (****ß**** that's a smiley face) It'll mean a lot! Well, Later Gaters!**

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	7. Chapter 7: Fang's Got a Girlfriend?

**A/N: Yay! I'm happy. The end. Oh, and I have a new HP story out if anyone is interested in reading it.. you should be interested in it….**

**Disclaimer: I don't own… yet…. *evil laugh here* **

_Max's POV:_

It's safe to say that first day of classes went a lot better than expected. Potions would have been frustrating if it weren't for Sirius's advice, and the fact that Remus knows really well what he's doing, and his Cauldron is placed in exactly the right place for me to be able to see and copy what he's doing. Only problem with Potions? It's with Gryffindor and Slytherin. That'd be bad as it is, right? With the whole Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry and all, but it was even worse seeing Fang than I thought it would be. See, in the short weekend we'd been at Hogwarts, Fang had already pretty much gotten himself a girlfriend. Sirius's cousin Bellatrix was practically hanging off of him during the entire class. Seriously? Why is it that every time we go to any sort of school, Fang finds a girlfriend _other_ than me. Sure, we're not dating, but he's still _mine._ Right? Right? Maybe not.

Transfiguration was confusing, Herbology was a freak fest, Charms was decent, Divination was pointless, History of Magic was boring.

The only good part of the day? James is some sort of big-time, hot-shot Quiditch player, so he gave me and Iggy flying lessons after class. Which is funny, considering we already know how to fly _really_ well. Flying on a broom, however? Well. It's a different experience. It took every ounce of self control not to whip out my wings and start flying. Just being in the air though… it was amazing.

I'm just going to assume for now though, that Iggy and James got over their little girl fight.

I've been thinking a lot about that Hogsmeade trip lately, and I guess it's pretty obvious that it's not exactly going to work out like I thought it would. I mean, Fang is probably going to go with his "new friends" and Nudge doesn't want anything to do with the rest of us. Iggy's one of the Marauders now… Funny how quickly he seemed to fit in. So I guess I'm going solo. I'd see if Lily wants to join me, but she's hanging out with that Snape kid, and besides, she kind of annoys me in some ways. She just doesn't like to take risks. I'd try to talk to Nudge, just so that I wouldn't be lonely, but second years aren't aloud to go to Hogsmeade. You have to be third year for the privilege. In fact, I'd be surprised if she even knew about Hogsmeade weekends.

So that left me. Alone. Well, at least it might give me a good time to do some exploring. See what dirt I can dig up.

_Iggy's POV:_

James gave me a "talk" yesterday night. I guess I should have taken the hint that he liked Lily, all the confessions of undying love and all that. Well, I told him I'd back off. After all, there's no reason he needs to know about me liking Lily. I'll just keep that little part a secret for now. And I _definitely_ won't tell him she's spending her Hogsmeade visit with me.

Anyways, classes went pretty well today. For a blind guy, I do a pretty good job at making potions. Peter just read the potions out loud, and we'd both just do what the instructions said. His love potion blew up and turned purple, which was actually pretty cool looking, however mine turned out perfectly. Surprisingly enough. We were _supposed_ to have all of our potions cleaned up, but, well… I didn't think it'd hurt to take a little bit of love potion with me. Save it for a rainy day, you know? Of course, the whole class Max was just staring at Fang and his new girlfriend. Of course I've got to hand it to the guy, he did pick up a pretty hot girl. Lets just hope he doesn't meet Lily, because after all, Fang _does_ love red heads. We definitely don't need another guy in this messed up love triangle. The rest of the classes were fun also though. For the first time, I started thinking Dumbledore might be right about the whole Flock-Powerful-Wizards thing.

_Max Again:_

Studying, studying, study study study study. I feel like my brain is about to explode! I just want to learn this stuff, so that I can catch up and not have to worry about all this extra work. Apparently, it's OWL year. That pretty much means a lot of stupid, extra work that no one really needs in order to prepare for tests that no one wants to take. Work, work, work. Nudge has it really good. She only has one years worth to catch up on, plus she doesn't have to worry about stupid testing.

Nudge. Ugh, I need to get the rest of the flock out of my head… unless…

It has to work! Bingo Max, great idea. I'll just get the flock back together. It should be totally simple. I can just organize a meeting, and we'll just sit back and talk out our problems. Therapist Max! I'm liking the sound of that.

So that's that. Tomorrow, at lunchtime, I'll just drag Fang and Nudge and Iggy into an empty classroom, and we'll just talk everything out. We've spent our entire life together being a _team._ With me as leader.

Study, study study. Study. I've _got_ to stop studying. So what should I do? Write a letter to Angel and Gaz. Got it!

Pen. Pen. Where's a pen? Here. Okay.

_Angel and Gazzy,_

_Hey guys. How's it going? Did you get to my moms house safely?_

_How is she? How's Ella? Things are doing great here, and we_

_can't wait to visit you during the Holidays! Fang, Iggy, and Nudge_

_all say hi. Just wanted to send you a letter to see how things were. _

_Have there been any attacks? I know there's no more erasers or_

_anything, but you can never be too safe. Please write back_

_soon! Love you guys,_

_-Max _

Then, I went to the Owlery, sent the letter, and went to bed early. That is, if you can call 2AM early.

_Angel's POV:_

I feel danger again. It's coming. Maybe not now, but soon.

**A/N: Yay! Filler chapters! Well, every chapter is needed in a special way, so hopefully this one didn't bore you. Please review! Please? *cough.* What? Me? Beg? Naw. I'm just asking in a nice way. **

**Anyways, thanks guys! Hope you liked it.**

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	8. Chapter 8: Max the Therapist

**A/N: Daily upload! Sorry it's so late at night, I've been stalling at getting this one out to you guys. Brain block! Honestly? If I wasn't so set on uploading daily, you probably wouldn't have gotten this until next month… whoops!**

**Disclaimer: Aww, forget it. See former chapters.**

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_Max's POV:_

"No! I refuse to talk to you guys." Nudge said through gritted teeth, when I tried to carry out with my therapist plans at lunch the next day. "Oh please, Nudge. It'll only take a few minutes. Besides, I'm not giving you much of a choice here." I said, getting more and more exasperated every second. I was starting to discover that this was _not_ going to go exactly how I planned. She sighed, as if wanting the entire world to know she was being wronged, gave a _sorry-I-have-to-go-deal-with-my-crazy-sister_ look to her friends, then followed me and Iggy over the Slytherin table. They actually are seriously intimidating, and it hurts to know that Fang belongs there now. That _that_ is what the hat found inside him. "So _these_ are the crazies you were talking about?" I heard one of the guys "whisper" as we walked up. "Fang. We need to talk. Now."

"Max, can't this wait? I need to—"

"Save it!" I snapped, totally interrupting him. "We. Need. To. Talk. Like, now." He sighed, gave the same look to his friends that Nudge gave to hers, and they all followed me into an empty classroom. Then, they all turned and gave me the _what-do-you-want_ look. Shoot. What _do_ I want?

"So…." I began, because that's always a good way to start things… right? "We need to talk."

"You've said that." Fang cut with his words. Yeah, it kind of really hurt a lot. What's going on with him? It's almost like everything we went through was lost just because of the fact that he's a Slytherin and I'm a Gryffindor.

"Well." Said Nudge, "I have nothing to say to any of you."

"Look guys. I get that you're all pretty mad at me. I don't understand that, but I'm willing to semi-accept that. We should at least talk this thing out a little bit! Remember everything we've been through? All the mad scientists we've fought? All the places we've traveled?" I started, totally putting on my 'time to give a speech' hat. Unfortunately, Nudge interrupted.

"Don't forget the fights we've had, the times we've split up, the 'Maxtatorship," and all of the people we've killed. People like us. Mutants, brainwashed. Whatever." She said. Of course, she didn't look like she wanted to expand on her thought, so I just continued my speech. Brushing it off. "Yeah. Okay, so we've had our down moments. But 14 years, Fang, Iggy, 12 Nudge. We've always stuck together. Right? We're a team. So lets act like one. Sure, who cares if our houses don't get along Fang, we're still just like siblings. And Nudge, you don't even have a good excuse for how you're acting. You're friends with other Gryffindors! Please guys, just give us a shot?"

"Very inspirational." Fang said, while clapping his hands in a very sarcastic motion. You'd think he was taking lessons from me… "No." Iggy said. "Max is right. Just because we've found home here, doesn't mean we shouldn't stay together. Max is misguided, sure, but she means well. She cares."

"Yeah." Nudge scoffed. "She cares a _whole awful _lot about us. Right?"

"I do!" I shouted. "Lets take a vote. All who vote to work out our differences and stay a flock, raise there hands." Only me and Iggy raised our hands. "All who vote to go our separate ways, and forget 14 years worth of team work like the deserters you are, raise your hands." Fang and Nudge. I felt like I was being ripped in two. Didn't that happen to Rumplestiltzkin or something? Ripped himself in two out of frustration and anger? I could do that just about now. Disappointment. "Please guys." I said, kind of trying not to cry. The Great Maximum Ride never cries. "How about this?" Fang asked, "You and Iggy can be your own little 'flock' and me and Nudge can just pretend we don't know you. That won't be too different than it is right now, huh Max?" His tone is so harsh. So… mean. So hardened. What's happened to him? "It's impossible to stay a flock. Angel and Gazzy are already gone." Nudge whispered, barely audible, before saying "I'm outta here. I have better things to do."

"I feel like I don't even know you anymore." I called after her as she left. Then she turned back toward me, just like she did that day in the library, and said "You don't Max. You never did." Then Fang left, saying he had "business to take care of." That left me and Iggy. "I'm sorry Max." He said. For what? I don't know. Maybe he's just sorry things couldn't work out for us as a flock. "I'm sorry too." I replied. And that was that. It was done for now.

_James' POV: _

"Hey," Lily asked, "Where's Max and Iggy?" I looked around, then I noticed she was right. They were gone. "Oh." Said Remus, "I saw them going into a classroom with Fang and Nudge."

"Hey," Peter commented, "Isn't Fang a Slytherin?" Sirius laughed. "No duh. He's totally Slytherin, through and through. A sneaky, manipulative little—"

"Hey!" Lily interjected. "Not all Slytherins are like that." We all rolled our eyes. All of us that is, except for me. My eyes were staring at Lily's. I just don't get it. I've loved her for _five years_. I've never given up on her. I'm a nice guy! I'm just only nice to those who are nice to me. I just don't get why she prefers Snivellus. I try to protect her from him, and she hates me for it. I swear though, that guy is bad news. He's dark. Dark magic, dark everything. I wouldn't trust him if I were her. He's the type of person that would sell her out to save his own skin if he needed too. I would never do that. I would die to protect Lily.

"James."

"Jaaaames."

"James?"

"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. "We asked what you thought about them. There's something odd about that group."

"Of course I've noticed. But if _you _hadn't noticed, this is a Wizardry school. We're all odd around here." Then I went back to staring at Lily. She noticed this time. "Ugh. Why do I always sit with you guys?" Her friend Margaret said, "Because we don't have any other friends around here."

"Besides," Added Sirius, "You love us too much to let us go. Speaking of love, how long has it been since you've declared your love to Lily, Prongs? Have you any feelings for other girls?" What! No! I could never be unloyal! "What? NO! I could never be unloyal!" I yelled. "I wouldn't mind James." She said, hurting me deep into my soul. Kidding, I'm a man, and used to it by now.

Then the doors opened up again, and Iggy and Max came back in again. Both looking a little bit sick to the stomach, and both just in time for the owls to come in.

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**A/N: Another chapter! Done just in time. So yeah….. review? I'd appreciate it… a lot… a whole awful lot. **

**Thanks guys! Meeeeeep! Oh, and did I tell you? I wrote yet another HP LilyxJames fic…. actually, I wrote two yesterday… Yay! **

**Thanks guys,**

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	9. Chapter 9:Insults and Slytherin Filth

**A/N: Yay! Another update! Oh, and btw… actually, I didn't really have anything to say… Whaaaat? This makes no since. The authors note, I mean… Yeah. So here's the story?**

**Disclaimer: Yeah. Uhh, no?**

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_Max's POV:_

Just as we walked into the room, all of the owls came in to deliver stuff. My heart gave a little flip when I thought about the letters to Angel and Gazzy, so I ran over to the table and hoped an owl dropped something off near me.

An owl swooped overhead, and dropped a package right in front of me. I ripped it open as fast as I can, and saw a book. Yes. A book. Nice, huh? What a great gift! A book! Just what I always wanted! With it was a note, but it wasn't from Angel or Gazzy.

_This is helpful for you. Hold on to it, learn from it, use it. You'll need it._

_pg 232: __Protego Horribilis_

_pg 55 __Dimentica Maxima_

_Use those spells in case of emergency. \o/ _

_~~X~~_

"Hey Max," Asked Iggy, "What's that?" I quickly shoved the odd note in my pocket, and gave him the book. He turned it around a bit, before saying "A book. Did you order this online or something?"

"Internet doesn't exactly work here Iggy." Lily commented, then turning to me, she said "_The Complete Encyclopedia of Wizarding Charms, Hexes, Jinxes, and Spells. _Nice! That's a great volume" James looked over, suddenly very interested in the conversation. "Wait, they have one of those? Man! That would have made the past five years go a lot easier. We used to have to make stuff up until we got something right." We all rolled our eyes, and I went back to eating my food. So they haven't written back yet, that's fine. Maybe they just haven't had time. They're probably having a blast with my mom and Ella. Eating cookies… and stuff… "Hey, Do you guys have permission slips to Hogsmeade yet?" Asked Remus. "Permission slips? I didn't know we needed them. I can always send something to my mom." Ugh. That just reminds me yet again of my failure from a few minutes earlier. Can't I do anything right? I don't even get what's happening to me. And what's with that note? Who the heck just sent me that package, and who does he think he is assuming that it will "protect me from danger." I look over, and see Iggy tracing the words with his hands, almost as if he can _feel_ what they say. I look over to check if it's brail or something—it's not. Then I notice he's whispering words, very lightly under his breath, and his moving his wand around under the table. Little sparks are coming out of it and—"Iggy!" I whisper-yell. "What do you think you're doing? Besides, how are you even reading that?"

"Just a little sabotage, nothing you should worry about. And I can feel the words. The colors of things, I can sense them. Black on white, it's easy to figure out the words." I should have been concerned about the sabotage part, but lets face it, no one can be the _perfect_ leader. Besides, it's obvious I don't lead much anymore. Finally, as loudly as he could without going noticed, I heard Iggy whisper "Exsecracus!" While pointing the wand at James. "Iggy! _What _did you just do?" I grabbed my new book out of his hand, and skimmed down the page to find a spell resembling the one he'd just used. "Causes the victim to spew random insults? Victim is not aware of the effects of the spell? Iggy! What?" I sighed in frustration, but no one noticed us. Everyone else was busy laughing at James and Lily's latest argument.

"So Lily, I just wanted you to know that—When you look in the dictionary under suck-up, it says 'See Lily Evans.'" He said, and started cracking up laughing. No one else thought it was funny.

She slapped him. Super, super hard. "Ow! Gees, what was that for? All I meant to say was—Do you still love Nature? Despite what it did to me?"

"Oh my gosh James! You are _such_ a jerk. See, this is what I get for hanging out with you."

"What? How am I a jerk! Just because I told you that—You're so fat, you have your own orbit."

"I hate you!" She screamed, then ran out of the great hall. A few heads turned, and one kid from the Slytherin table ran out after her. James looked shocked, then said "And I don't even know what I did wrong!" And ran out of the room. I glared at Iggy, then realized he still couldn't see me, so I said "I'm glaring at you right now Iggy." He laughed, and continued eating.

_Lily's POV:_

"Why do you even put up with those jerks?" Sev asked me, as we were sitting under the great Oak Tree. "What other choices do I have Sev, it's not like I have _that_ many other friends. I hang out with the other Gryffindor fifth years. It's not my fault I fit in somewhere." I instantly regretted my word choice the moment I saw the look on his face. _Stupid!_ I _know_ how much trouble Sev's been having fitting in here with the other Slytherin. Geez. I should tell him how much our friendship means to me. I should tell him he'll be the best man at my wedding, and that we'll always be friends, and that around me he always fits in.

"They all hate me hanging out with you. They say you're 'slytherin filth.'" Nice one Lily. Way to give him a confidence boost. "Maybe I am." He said. "At least I don't make a complete idiot of myself on a daily basis, like James does." And for some reason, I found myself standing up for James. "He can be a nice guy sometimes."

"Yeah right." He said, his voice suddenly growing stoney. Then something dawned on him. "I get it. It's all making sense now. You hang out with them, because even though you refuse to admit it, you actually _like_ all the attention you get from James." What? "Oh shut up, Severus."

"Now you're starting to sound like my housemates." He joked. I laughed a bit, before realizing that he wasn't actually joking. Then I felt bad all over again. "Oh please, Severus. It can't be that bad, can it?"

"It wasn't, before new kid came. He's like some new novelty. I just can't figure him out. No one can, even though Bella likes to pretend she has."He replied. We sat in silence for a little bit. See, that's the mark of a true friend. Isn't it the best thing in the world, to sit with someone in complete silence, and just feel completed? It's like, none of the silences we have are awkward. It's just… well… Talking, or not talking, we are just ourselves around each other. It's not like with James, because James "loves" me. It just makes it more, awkward. I'm happy with Sev. We're great friends, and I don't have to go through all of the stress of him thinking we're anything more. "So are we going to Hogsmeade together next week? I here they just got a new shipment in at Honey-dukes."

"No, sorry." I replied. "I… have a date."

"Oh." More silence. "Hey, look at the time. I have to go, I have DADA in fifteen minutes across campus."

"Bye Sev."

No answer.

_Creature's POV:_

I have been created. I am a Creature, genetically mutated. I have a purpose, and that is what makes me great. What is Maximum Ride's greatest weakness? For someone "unbreakable" and "unstoppable," she certainly cares too much about her friends. I have been created. I have a purpose. My name is Creature, and I _will_ track down Maximum Ride. I will find her. I will hunt her. I will take her alive. My greatest strength is my perseverance. Nothing goes by me. I cannot die until my mission is complete. I have nine lives. I am sneaky enough. I can come in. I can defeat all. We will win.

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**A/N: Another chapter out of the way! This one took me a surprisingly long time to write…. Brain block. Writers block. Every kind of block imaginable! Hope you still liked it though! Thanks guyzez!**

**-Awesomegirl13**

**PS. Feel free to point out any mistakes I've made, or anything you think I can do to improve this fanfiction! I always appreciate writing tips. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10: Perfect Other Half

**A/N: Hey guyzez, sorry for deserting you and all… that' sad, right? Well, anyways, I have a newer chapter out! Shout out goes for LongLastingDreams for her LongLastingSupport of all of my stories. :D She's reviewed every chapter of almost every one of my stories, and that totally means so much to me. Check her out, kay guys? **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…. at all…. that's sad…**

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_Fang's POV_

"I just don't get her! She's a total witch." Bellatrix complained in the Slytherin commons room one night, after an especially long day.

"Yeh."

"And she acts like she 'so tough' and 'so Gryffindor.' More like Gryffindork. Right Fang?" I swear, Bellatrix is starting to get on my last nerve.

"Uhh, yeah."

"And, I mean, Maximum Ride. What kind of a name is that?" She's starting to go to far.

"I don't even know."

"I mean, I kind of feel bad for you Fang. You have _her_ as a sister." It's just for another two and a half years.

"Yeah. She's uhh. A real pain."

"Well, it's OK. I know she's caused you a lot of annoyance in the past. That's why this prank is going to be the greatest in Hogwarts history. Can you imagine her face? I can't wait to see her pride completely collapse. She needs someone to deflate her ego a bit." Remember Fang, you are doing this for a reason. A good reason. It's for Max. Always for Max. Just remember that.

"Ha. Uhh, yeah."

See, you are probably wondering why I'm just sitting here quietly. (Aren't I always?) Probably wondering why I'm not standing up for the lady I love. (Who says I love her?) After all, the only reasonable explanation is that I'd be doing this to protect her, (or something else just as stupid-cliché.)

Well, you'd be right for all of those things. Just trust me on this one, it's just as painful for me to listen to Bella whine all the time as it is for you guys to watch your precious "FAX" fall apart. You think I like this? House spirit and all. Hooray! Or not. Either way, why should anyone care, right? Wasn't it so much easier in the E house? We were hidden pretty well over there. No wonder our letters got, uh, "lost in the mail." Although it's just as well I get into Slytherin, correct? I'm just a _dark_ and _tortured_ and _angst ridden_ individual. Correct? That seems to be what you fan girls like the squeal about. Of course, I could just be a regular guy who has dark hair and doesn't enjoy talking. It hurts my throat, the words come out like they're strangling me ready to wrap around my throat hurts too much to talk and I can barely breath and now I need to _stop_.

That what you're all imagining? Well. Sure, but I do anything to protect my family. Me and Max are pretty similar in that way. In almost every way. Well, it's safe to say I have something up my sleeve. Yeah, so something bad will happen to Max. Of course she's totally clueless about it. She can't trust me. I can't let her trust me, in case I let her down. She needs to hate me, if she doesn't everything is lost. Us Slytherins are dark, bad news. Sure, they are my friends. That's why I have to play along. Join in their games, before it's too late for all of us. Then no one will be left to save the "Great Maximum Ride."

_Max's POV:_

Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours turned to days turned to weeks. Fang got attacked by a fairy in Care of Magical Creatures. That was enjoyable. Nudge found out that second years weren't allowed into Hogsmeade. It was in the middle of lunch, she made a pretty big scene. I swear, she's turning into quite the little brat. Maybe it's her current group of friends. Why should I trust the Ravenclaws? They stole her from us anyways. Mom sent in our Hogsmeade permission slips, but still no word from Angel or Gazzy. Not even a note from my mom accompanied the slips. Fang is still a jerk, I don't know what's going on with him.

Now Hogsmeade is tomorrow, and I'm getting pretty excited about it. Sure I'll be wandering alone, but who cares? Maybe I can join the Marauders for a bit. (gag.) I was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, just minding my own business, when Iggy storms in and says "Max, we're wanted in Dumbledore's office." Dumbledude? Wonder what he wants. Is it about Angel and Gazzy? I knew there was a reason they haven't written me back. They better be okay, please let them be okay. I couldn't take losing another Flock member. I'm only fourteen for goodness sake! Sure, I look around fifteen or sixteen, but that doesn't matter at all on the "emotionally stable" level. Iggy and I race to the hall, and when we stop in front of Dumbledude's office, we realize we have no idea what the password is. However we were spared the annoyance of having to stand out there by Dumbledore, who opened the office door for us.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the room was that he didn't look worried, and I didn't see my Mom anywhere. Instead, I saw another boy, one who looked like he was our age. I looked at him, then looked at Dumbledude, then looked at Iggy, then looked at him, then looked at Dumbledude again. Dumble spoke. "He is like you, wings, hard to track. Just sorted into Gryffindor. I'd like you two to show him around. Keep track of him" He said, and I was totally confused. "Wait, he has wings?" I asked. "Dylan, will you show them?" The boy who's name was apparently Dylan, unfurled his wings. They were breathtaking. Me and Iggy exchanged glances, and I couldn't help but notice that the boy was kind of cute. "Uhh," I mumbled. "I guess we can show you to the Gryffindor common room then."

"Thank you Maximum."

"Please, just call me Max."

Dylan was pretty cool, in an obnoxious-i-can't-believe-I'm-practically-being-forced-to-be-friends-with-you kind of way. He had beach blonde hair and sang like JB. Any guy who sings like Justin Bieber should be made to keep quiet. Then there is the fact that I kept having fluttery feelings around him, which I could _not_ have. After all, you know, with me and Fang and all. Wait, no. Nothing between me and Fang. Fang is a jerk, and Fang likes to break your heart. No. Not good.

The main thing that worried me however, wasn't that he sang like JB, and wasn't that he looked like an Abercrombie model. It was the things he said to me after everyone else had gone to sleep, and it was just us two by the fire. He was telling me that he had known about the Flock for awhile now. That he had been trying to find us. It was just… odd. The whole experience. Then there was my voice. I hadn't heard it in awhile, but it came to me loud and clear. _Max_. Oh please, go away voice. No one wants to here what you have to say. Last time you came, you ripped the flock apart. _You did that yourself Maximum_. Great. Now you too? What do you want. _He's your perfect other half Max. He was created for you. _

Then it left. Disappeared. Bye bye voice. At least for now. That totally freaked me out. Perfect other half? Created for me? I guess it went over my head or something, because it did not make since that some messed up scientists would create another bird-kid just like me, just so that I would have a boyfriend. That. Makes. No. Freaking. Since. Besides, I'm me. Me. Uhh, I guess if I was normal I'd be all excited over a Hollister model who sings like JB, right? But I'm not normal. And him trying to pull a move on me all night was totally exhausting. I guess now I know how Lily feels. The only good thing about this situation? At least now I won't be alone at Hogsmeade.

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**A/N: Hmm… Mylan? Ahh! Don't hate me! So yeah, anyways, I am actually pretty Switzerland when it comes to the whole Fang or Dylan debate… So I guess you'll have to see how that turns out in my story. But anyways, I already have the next chapter planned out, so hopefully I'll get that ASAP for you guys… (Just to let you know, it's got a LOT of drama! ahhh!) **

**Later guyz! Thanks for not giving up on me yet!**

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	11. Chapter 11: Adventures At Hogsmeade

**A/N/A/N: Hey guys. Just letting you know, I wrote this on the way to state, but it wouldn't publish this weekend. If there's a few typos, it's just cause the road was bumpy... so yeah. Thanks! **

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**A/N: Hey guys! Me again, wooo! Told you I wouldn't update, but I'm still pulling through. You'll never guess where I'm writing this right now… I'm on a road trip. Yayy! :D That's pretty epic, right? Yeah. I'm happy right now. And that's why I'm writing. Yayy! *cough* So yeah, I switch POV's a _ton _in this chapter. It's necessary though, so yeah. So anyways, I'm going to go ahead with the disclaimer now. **

**Disclaimer: Hey guys! I don't own MR or HP… so yeah… Does that satisfy the lawyers?**

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_Narrators POV:_

So the day of Hogsmeade arrived. I must warn you, the following chapter is filled with drama and craziness. As Lily convinces James and the rest of the Marauders that she's going to be with Severus, Severus knew she had a date, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. At the same time, Iggy has convinced Max that he has come down with a stomach bug, and as a result is staying home.

Fang is going to hang out with Bella and the Slytherins, and Max is hanging out with her "perfect other half." So where are they all going? The Hogshead.

_Max's POV:_

"Hey guys! You all ready? You're all going to have to show me around a bit, after all, me and Dyl have never been to Hogsmeade before." I said, sounding completely un-Max like. I don't really care though. It seems like it's been forever since I've just gotten out and had fun. Besides, I might see Fang there, and if I do at least I'll be with Dylan. Two can play that game, right? Man, I sound like such a witch right now… which is funny, considering I really am one. I just don't even feel like myself right now. I guess… I don't even know. I can't get that failed attempt at talking with Fang and Nudge out of my head. _Then me and Nudge can just pretend that we don't know you._ I can't understand it. Then there is this whole thing with Dylan. I looked over at Iggy, who was sitting on a couch clutching his stomach. "Sure you don't want to come Ig?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. He grunted, and then me, James, Dylan, Remus, and Peter headed out to Hogsmeade.

First there was the joke shop. Zonko's. Apparently I just opened up earlier this year, and was totally packed the entire time. The whole time I walked through it I kept seeing things that I knew Gazzy and Ig would be totally obsessed with. I couldn't help but wonder what Iggy was doing and why the heck he hadn't replied to any of my letters. Maybe they were just busy, but maybe it's something else…

No Max. Stop it, you are thinking way to much, and you need to just focus and have fun. Day off, right? Right. I think by far the funniest part of the day was seeing Remus in the candy shop. He has this crazy obsession with chocolate. He bought, like, fifty bars, and seventy chocolate frogs. "Umm, are you sure you need that much chocolate?"

"Well, I figure the next Hogsmeade visit isn't for another couple more weeks, so I better stock up now." Yeah, stocking up isn't the same as buying up everything they had… I didn't say that though. Max, Max, Max. What ever has happened to your snippy sarcastic wit? "Lets go to Hogs Head for some butterbeers." I don't know what butterbeers, are, but it sounds pretty good to me.

We all ran laughing to the pub, but it's safe to say no one was very happy once we got there. In fact, James and me finally had something in common. We were both furious with the same people.

_Iggy's POV:_

I waited thirty minutes before I knew for certain the coast was clear. Hogsmeade can't be that small of a village, right? I mean, we're only trying to avoid like, thirty people. That's it. We're doomed. Well, even if there was trouble I wouldn't be able to spot it a mile a way. After all, I am blind…

So anyways, I know it could be a pretty jerk thing to do to sneak behind one of my best friends backs by dating the girl he's loved since first year, but… well… I have no excuse. I might be a total jerk, but I guess when it comes to Lily I don't even care. It's almost like she doesn't even notice I can't see. She doesn't mind. She let me feel her face one time, just so that I can kind of get an idea of what she looked like. I could feel her face, the color of her hair. Red. Her eyes, green. All I have to say is that Fang better not meet her. He has a weakness for red heads, and we definitely don't need another addition to this love triangle. Besides, he's too cool for a Gryffindor anyways.

The Jerk.

He's all cozy with the Slytherins, and it's gotten to the point where I can actually laugh along when we turn all of their hair green._ Then me and Nudge can just pretend we don't know you._ Who does he think he is?

"Psst! Iggy, you ready to head out?"

"Definitely."

We headed over first thing to the Hogs Head. Ordered a few butterbeers, then we sat down and just talked. We laughed, and she looked at me for a long time. It took awhile before I realized everything was silent, and I felt her eyes on me. It was so quiet, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was just… I don't know, comfortable. Like, nothing in the world could be better than just sitting there together. Then she broke the silence. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You can just reach out, and know exactly where your drink it. You can bring it to your mouth, and never spill a drop. I just don't understand it. Then again, I've never met a blind person before."

"It's been this way most of my life. I've kicked some serious butt while being blind. Max used to be kind of over protective about it, but once I started getting stronger than her she let it go. Of course, she'd never admit that I was stronger than her, but that's just Max." Then we both laughed, even though it wasn't even funny. Then the laughter died down. Quickly, "Lily?" Someone next to us asked, and I vaguely recognized the voice. It wasn't any of the flocks, and it wasn't James, so I figured I was safe. Lily on the other hand seemed to get more and more upset. "Hi Sev." Snape. I knew it. He glared at me. "So I see your, uhh, _date_ isn't very pleasant company. "Oh please Sev." She sighed, "You don't even know him"

"I know he landed me in detention." Silence. "I, umm. I gotta go now." He walked away, and we had a not-so-comfortable silence. "So."

"So."

Then we heard some skirmishes outside. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "What? What is it?" I asked, really wishing I could actually see. "It's Sev. Ugh, and James! I can't even believe it. When is he ever going to stop hurting him?" She got up, and started storming towards the door. I followed her out, but once we got out the door I realized our mistake. We weren't supposed to be here.

"Iggy? LILY? What are you two doing together? Lily? I though… I thought…"

"What did you think James? Did you think that just because you liked me no other guy would ever look at me? You are despicable."

"Iggy? Oh my god, I can't believe it. You totally lied to me. You said you had a stomach ache! And, well…" Max trailed off. This is a mess. "If you could see my face right now Ig. I swear, if you could see it." Verbal punch to the face much? Max was all I had left now. Gaz wasn't talking to any of us, neither was Angel… and as for Nudge and Fang… I was alone.

Then, as if the verbal punch wasn't enough. James gave me a real one. The whole time Snape wouldn't stop laughing. I wanted to kill him. If it weren't for the fact that I was totally deserving all of this, I might have punched James back. But I couldn't do that. I was stronger, and he wasn't even used to Muggle fighting. I deserved it.

What did I do? Why is it so complicated to just have a date with the girl I love?

I feel like a hopeless romantic.

_Fang's POV:_

Remember, it's all for Max. Just for Max. That's why I'm hurting her every day. That's why I'm breaking her heart. That's why I'm telling her I didn't want to see her again. That's why I'm joking along with the other Slytherins, and planning the prank of the century, just for Max. Seems like some flawed logic, right? Well, today is the day of the Hogsmeade visit. I just want to see her. I just want to, I don't know. Talk to her. Ha, or not. But maybe, maybe if she could see my face, how I truly feel. Then she'd understand. Then again, I've spent the last several weeks building up these walls. What would it do just to tear them down again? We need to not talk to each other, because I can't be seen making contact with a Gryffindor. But maybe I could just explain.

I break away from the big group, but Lucius catches up to me. "Hey, where are you headed off to now?"

"Me? Oh, I was just… I was just going to go over to… umm… The Hogs Head. Yeah. Just to get a butterbeer or something, I'm pretty thirsty."

"Is this about a girl? Because Bella will not be happy if she finds out that there's someone else." How does he read people this well? Let me tell you about Lucius a bit. He's a pure blood supremacist, and a fanatical one at that. I've had them all convinced that I'm not "mudblood." Just a few lies, wrapped around lies. It's easy, I just don't say anything at all. He's like a leader of the pack. A sixth year. He knows what he's doing, and you are always either for him or against him. "What? A girl? Naw." That answer seemed OK with him, but he waved everyone over to us, and we all ended up going to The Hogs Head together. Just dandy.

I walked over, just sweeping my eyes looking for things and people. Then I saw her. Max, standing outside the pub. She was with her group. They were yelling at Iggy. Iggy was with a girl, and that Potter kid slapped him across the face. Looks like drama to me, which I've come to recognize well with all the scandal going on in Slytherin. Sometimes I think Hogwarts needs a gossip magazine. I bet that Rita chick could be the editor, she's always spreading crazy rumors around the school. Just last week there was a huge drama going on with someone dating someone, and all of that stuff. How do I know this? I guess when you don't talk, you listen. And there's a lot to listen too around Rita.

For a second, my eyes met Max's. She glared, and I glared back. Then she turned, and gave the boy next to her a peck on the cheek. Who is that guy anyways? What does he want? How long has he been here anyways? Why was he with her? Why did she just _kiss_ him? Then she glared back at me. Well that's a low blow Max. Are you really going to play like that? Ha, if she knew everything like she thinks she does, she'd feel so stupid right now.

Of course, thoughts like those don't make me feel any better seeing my best friend could-be-someday girlfriend kissing another guy. But then I saw something moving under his robe. _A wing. _He's like us.

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**A/N: Boom! Got it done, 2,000+ words. What now? You can accomplish a lot on a car trip…. **

**Don't forget to review, just because of all this hard work I've done… So yeah. Thanks!**

**-Awesomegirl13 **

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**A/N/A/N: Oh, and I didn't win anything... *pouty face* I had fun though! **


	12. Chapter 12: Yes You Can!

**A/N: So you guys deserve an Author who's better at updating than me…. (of course, if you had another Author, the story wouldn't be _half_ as good!) Aaand, there have been some concerns over who's going to end up with who, and all of that stuff. So, although I refuse to tell you what's going to happen at the end, to ease your mind a little bit I'll let you know that I really do love Canon pairings. That being said, I'm pretty creative, and always willing to try new things… So yeah. Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: Blablabla, I don't own blablabla and anything like that blablabla. I'm bored. The end.**

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_Max's POV:_

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So did I mention I kissed Dylan? Sure it was just a little peck on the cheek, but I couldn't help it. Fang was watching, and something just… got me. It's hard to explain, okay? But I don't even know why I have to explain anything to you. My only problem now is the fact that now Dylan thinks we're a couple. I guess that's what I get for leading him on. I have enough on my plate, and I don't need to add any extra drama to it, so why not go along? Fang will be jealous, (that's always a good thing,) and Iggy will feel out of the loop.

Iggy. Now I know what you're thinking: Max! Why would you even care if Iggy lies to you about having a stomach ache so that he could sneak out with his best friends crush? It's not like it directly effects you! Well, if you think that then I guess you're just a little bit wrong. Why should I care? Because the only person I actually thought I could rely on totally ditched me for a girl, _and_ lied to me about it. Not to mention the fact that he completely crushed James. A few weeks ago I would have _loved_ to see James cry, but now that I know him… Not cool Ig. Trust me when I that slap was for his own good.

The weeks following the great Hogsmeade incident were as follows: Iggy was iced out by me and the Marauders, (the Marauders and I? Who am I kidding, grammar sucks,) Nudge continued being Nudge, I still got no letters from home, Fang was attacked by a Fairy in Care of Magical Creatures Class, (funniest thing ever,) me and Dylan became a kind-of-sort-of-couple, and I spent every free second of every free day trying to catch up on years of homework. Fun!

Another new development at Hogwarts? A new guidance counselor. Now, I know what you're thinking, (I read minds. Muahahahaha! Well… that was odd,) guidance counselor? Crazy, right? Well, some kid wrote a letter complaining to his parents about friend trouble at school. Parents had a lot of money and made a huge deal out of it, and the guidance counselor was the result. Her name is Dr. Siobhan Brown, and I'm now sitting in her perfectlittleoffice because I slapped Iggy. Getting a guidance counselor at a magic school is a pretty stupid idea, but I guess people like it, because it took me two weeks to get in an appointment for a punishment, just because a few stupid teachers think I have "issues." Personally, I would hate to be stuck with the job of giving people guidance, and hearing about all of their problems. I mean, going through seven years of magical training just to be stuck sitting in an office talking about feelings?

"So Maximum," She said in a sugary sweet young person voice. So snobbish. "It's just Max." I replied, trying my best to sound as hostile as possible. "Max." She repeated. "How are things getting along with you here at Hogwarts, I understand you are a new student."

"Obviously things aren't going to well for me, or else I wouldn't be here, would I?"

"And why do you think that is?"

"Well, some idiot kid complained about the fact that no one was worshipping him, so his parents made a huge fuss about it, and you're the result. Now the only reason I'm here is because I'm forced to be here."

"I mean, why do you think things aren't going so well?"

"What's it to you?"

"I care about what you're going through Max."

"Of course you do. Just like you cared about the last kid who came in here?"

"I care about all of the kids I work with, but you're special Max."

"Goody for me."

"I know about your wings Max."

"That's great."

"It was in your file."

"Nice to know."

"Well, I can see we aren't getting anywhere with this conversation, but if you ever want to talk to me just let me know. I'll be keeping an eye on you Max, understood?"

"Sure."

"Would you like an inspirational sticker?"

"Sure."

And that was that. I was free, plus I got a cool sticker that makes noise and says "Yes I Can!" Of course, the whole experience was about as painful as having all of my teeth pulled out. I didn't even know there were doctors in the Wizarding world, or how in the world that lady counted as a doctor. Doctors in general freak me out, but I guess she seemed nice enough. In a I'm-brainwashing-kids-on-a-daily-basis-by-making-them-think-they're-special-and-I-care-so-that-they'll-be-slaughtered-out-in-the-real-world sort of way.

I was walking down the hall back to the commons room, when I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder. Being the paranoid bird-freak I am, I turned and gave a sharp kid to the stomach of the offender. Luckily for me, it was just Fang. "What the heck was that?" He screamed at me. "Umm, I don't know, maybe you can tell me why you're talking to me now?" I snapped back at him. "I'd think you'd be too busy with your half-evil friends and your pretty-little-girlfriend." Then I turned around, and started walking away. He scoffed at me, then said, "You're one to talk. What's with your new boyfriend? I saw he has wings." I stopped in my tracks. "Why didn't you tell me." I turned towards him, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice. "Oh, because we've had so many conversations lately, right Fang? I didn't tell you, because it doesn't matter to you anymore. You're barely one of us."

"And he is?"

"Yes."

He stared at me for awhile. Then he just opened his big-old mouth, and said "He has a Bieber cut." Then he turned, and walked away. That's Fang for you.

_Bellatrix POV:_

"I still don't exactly understand why you hate her."

"Why shouldn't I hate her? She's a complete and utter freak. I swear there's something weird about her."

"I'm not sure Bella."

"Relax Cissy, just trust me. I've been practicing."

"But the cruciatus? Seems a bit severe."

"Look, just trust me, okay? You can't achieve greatness by being good all the time."

"But it's unforgivable."

"Since when have you ever had a conscience anyway?"

"I just don't want to get in serious trouble yet. That could ruin everything! Besides, there has to be some other way to get back at her. And what exactly are we getting back at her for anyways?"

"There's several reasons. She obviously has a thing for Fang, and soon enough she's going to try and come after him. She stares at him all the time in class, and they have all these secret talks that I'm definitely not OK with. And have you seen the way Sirius looks at her? He has a total crush on her, and if it hurts him along the way, it's all for the better, right? Not to mention she's a freak. All the others are all for it too. There's just something about her. She seems like the absolute perfect target, besides, she doesn't know us well enough to suspect what's coming. Why not?"

"Maybe."

"So are you in? We need all the help we can get, not to mention ideas."

"I'm in."

_Max's POV:_

"You need to take up Quiditch!" Sirius said, trying to convince me to try out for the team. One of the keepers fell of his broom and is now taking an indefinite leave of absence from the sport. "I don't know Sirius, I don't actually know that much about the sport." I replied. "Besides, I'm not much for flying."

"What, afraid of heights?" He asked. Ha. Yeah right. "Something like that." I said. He laughed a little bit, then said "Oh just give it a try. You might not even make it on the team, but it won't hurt to at least try out. You've been to all the games so far, right?" I had, but that didn't mean I suddenly knew all I needed to know to make the team. "Try outs are this Saturday. Be there." I sighed, then told him I would try out. How hard could it really be?

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**A/N: So not much action in this chapter, but it's important later, promise. **

**Thanks again guys, for being totally awesome! Don't forget to review. **

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	13. Chapter 13: Love and Revenge

**A/N: Okay, so it took me awhile, but I finally have another chapter for you guys! Woohoo! This chapter actually took me a really long time to wrote…. because first, I wrote a huge middle chunk, and brain blocked on the rest, THEN I wrote it all out and it got deleted. THEN I wrote this. Result! So yeahhhh… Thanks for waiting!**

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_Max's POV:_

"Hey Max!" Sirius said, as I entered the commons room and headed to go back to the books. "Oh! Did you hear the big news? You know your brother Fang? Yeah. He's dating my cousin. Creepy, right?"

And now it's my turn to go after him. I swear, this time he'll here me our or I will kick his butt to Kentucky and back again. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't too hard to find him. He was just sitting under a tree moping to himself while reading a book titled "Pranks for Prats." Of course. "Fang. I need to talk to you. NOW." He barely looked up from the book he was reading before saying, "Yeah, sure, in a sec." I couldn't even believe him! Honestly? I don't know why I'm so angry, but it's not like I have the self control to _actually_ control my emotions. "No. We're going to talk about this. Right now, and this time, no walking away. Kapeesh?" He stared for a minute, before saying, "Is 'kapeesh' even a word?" He's dead meat. I glared for a minute, and he sighed before finally saying, "Fine. You want to talk? Talk." I opened my mouth, took a deep breath, and really started going at him.

"You know what? You think you're so cool, don't you? Well, it's _so_ cool how you keep telling me you don't want to be a flock anymore, but you still expect me to come crawling after you. You get upset when I get myself a boyfriend, and you don't even let me live my own life! Plus the fact that the only time you ever talk to me is when you're yelling at me about things that you know absolutely _nothing_ about. Now you probably won't even hear me out. I'm just waiting for you to interrupt me and tell me to 'go with the flow' or some other complete and utter stupidity even though clearly all I want to do is yell at you!"

"Do you want me to interrupt you?"

"No. But that's not the point! The point is the only time you talk to me is when you want me to shut up and protect your precious reputation."

"That doesn't sound familiar."

"Shut up and listen Fang! It seems to me like the only thing you want is to hurt me. What the heck is wrong with you? It's like I don't even know you anymore. Like you've become a totally different person. Guess what? I don't like this new Fang. Remember all those midnight talks we used to have? We were inseparable. It was you, and me, and Iggy, and Gazzy, and Angel, and Nudge. We were a flock, and me and you were always there for each other. I could trust you with anything. You were the only one I'd trust to have my back, and now I don't even feel safe around you. How did that happen? Every day I see you in class hanging out with your new besties, and—"

"Besties?"

"It hurts, okay? You keep hurting me Fang! I don't say stuff like this that often, right? You know me, right? Yeah. At least you used to know me. Don't think I can't still kick your butt. In fact, I've just made Gryffindor Quiditch team, and I can totally kick Slytherin butt in that too!"

"Max, you sound stupid right now." He interjected. Yep, it's safe to say I feel ready to make myself a Fang omelet, and feed it to the Hippogriffs. Of course, now that I've started getting into it, I'm not ready to just shut up and let him leave. "Woopdidoo! I'm sure that's what you want, right? Maybe if I make myself look stupid enough, you won't have to listen to anything I say. Not like you're going to anyways. Is any of this getting into your small little brain? Wait, I'm sorry. You're brain isn't small, is it? I almost forgot that you're The Great Fang! Master of Everything Who Knows All About Everything Involving Max's Life. The Great Fang Who Needs to Control Everything. The Magical Mutant Who Knows All The Secrets of the Universe, but Still Doesn't Care About His Best Friend. I almost forgot."

"Max, you know me. Deep inside, you know I'm the same guy. I would never want to hurt you." I can't believe the stuff he's spurting out of his big mouth.

"Ha, yeah. You don't mean to hurt me when you're stabbing me in the heart a thousand times a day! You don't mean to hurt me when you and your Slytherin buddies spread around pointless drama about my friends. You don't mean to hurt me when I try to smile at you, or talk to you, or anything simple, but you look _straight through me._ As if I'm not even there. As if I'm invisible. But that's not true. I'm not invisible, because you can still see me. You just don't care."

"I have to go. I have stuff to do."

"Of course you do."

I can't believe it. He just left. Gone. I've accomplished nothing, and I didn't even beat since into his pointless little phony brain and my insults are too weak and I can't think of anything and nothing is going right and I'm freaking out but Max doesn't freak out because I'm supposed to be strong and I'm supposed to be in control and I'm supposed to know when to stop and when to let go and when to end a sentence and I'm supposed to go to a normal school and have friends and no responsibility and gossip and joke and go to parties and live my life without worrying about anything that isn't stupid or pointless! Because I'm just a fourteen and a half year old girl. I'm not an adult. I'm not grownup. I'm Max. That's it. Strong, but not invincible. I have an outside, but I can't possibly let it fall apart.

I need to regain at least some control.

The place I thought it could start, with Fang, ended up putting me even farther back from my goal. I need serious help.

And why hasn't Angel written me back yet? She hasn't even attempted to make contact. Part of me wishes I could just talk to Iggy about all of this, but I can't. If the only thing I have control over is that situation, I refuse to give that much up.

On a much better and less stressful note. Did I mention I made Gryffindor Quiditch?

_Nudge's POV:_

"Look. I know this is hard for you and all, but… well… you're boring. And dull. And I just don't care about you anymore. Don't get me wrong, you were pretty cool for awhile, but I need someone who will treat me write. Sorry, but you aren't it. Wait a minute, why am I even apologizing to you? You don't _deserve_ my sympathies! You were the one who hurt me. Not me. So yeah, the only reason I found someone else in the first place was because you were acting like a jerk all the time. So there. Take that!" Sure, it was harsh, but could you really blame me? The guy got on my very last nerve. Will Tanner and I went out for about a week before I met Palmer, and face it, Palmer was an overall better guy. Not to mention better kisser.

Now I know what you're thinking! "What in the world happened to Nudge? She's so unlike herself. I don't like her anymore. She talks to much. How many boyfriends has she had now? She's such a witch!" Guess what? I am a witch. We're all witches and wizards here. It's Hogwarts for goodness sake. As for the rest of it? Yeah. Maybe your right, but maybe you've been saying all that stuff all along and I just now chose to listen. Ravenclaw treats me well, but so does Slytherin Boys, Gryffindor Boys, and Hufflepuff Boys. I'm twelve years old, and I don't know why I didn't discover dating before! See, the only difference between Old Nudge and New Nudge is that Old Nudge didn't have a backbone, and New Nudge has finally started to _care_ about things like boys, appearances, and not having to do whatever anyone (specifically Max) tells me to do.

Alana, my new best friend, agrees with me that Palmer is a better guy. Of course, she also agreed with me that Will was better than Gilderoid. Of course, she was right about that one too. Who has a name like Gilderoid? It's not a Wizard Name, it's not a Muggle Name, it's just stupid parents! But anyways, like I was saying, I've completely moved on with my life and I swear I've never been more happy. So, yeah. The end? Naw. Not quite. Alana made Quiditch this year, she said she's wanted on the team since first year, but you aren't aloud to play until second year. Completely and utterly lame, right? So anyways, where was I? Oh right. Breaking it off with Will.

"What? _I'm_ the one who hurt _you?_ I can't believe it! You're the one who's dumping me for Jameston. Seriously, Palmer Jameston? He's not even attractive!"

"Oh, because you totally know all about boys being attractive, right?"

"Shut up Nudge."

"He has flippy hair! A Bieber cut, I mean seriously. Who doesn't love a guy with a Bieber cut?"

"What's a Bieber cut?"

"See. This is one more reason to break up with you. Later Tanner."

_James's POV:_

Revenge. Pretty sweet word, right? I have to say, I trusted Iggy. Then there he was going behind my back with my girl the entire time. You'd be pretty ticked too, right? So that brings me back to the word Revenge again. I chose Sirius as my partner in crime, and we left during dinner. We knew Iggy would be with Lily, so that took care of him. Lily. How she can supposedly be "in love" with that scum, I have no idea. I love her! I'd do anything for her. Anything. Does she care though? No. She'd rather have blind-guy-Iggy. I thought he was so cool before he took my girl from me! I mean, he does some pretty crazy cool stuff with fire. Sirius nudged me. We were kind-of-sort-of digging through Iggy's trunk to find some of the Chocolates he bought at Hogsmeade. How do we know he bought chocolates at Hogsmeade? Everyone buys chocolates at Hogsmeade. That how it works. I figure I can cast a spell on it or something, I don't really know. I figure I'll cross that mountain when I get there.

So Sirius nudged me, right? "What is it now Sirius?"

"Loooooook!" He said, sounding like an annoying little kid. "It's a potion. Here. A love potion." Love potion? That could be useful. Who cares about revenge, when maybe I could just get my Lily back instead? "Give it here Padfoot! You sure it's love potion?"

"Yeah, it looks exactly like the stuff we made in class, and it has a heart scribbled on the outside with the words 'love potion' on it." Good. Excellent. Yay!

Now I guess all I have to do is drop a hair in this potion, and slip it in Lily's drink! Sure it won't last forever, but maybe, just maybe, she'll fall in love with me for real or something! It happens in the movies, right? "Quick Sirius! Lets go downstairs back to dinner. I have a great idea."

_Lily's POV:_

Iggy is amazing. I don't know how he does it, but he's a natural at the whole Magic thing, plus the fact that you'd never even guess he's blind if you don't know him. We were sitting together at dinner, and he would say something, and I would laugh, but every once in awhile I'd look around. You know, just in case James was watching or something. I wanted him to see us together. To know that just because he loves me doesn't mean I'll fall all over him like every other girl. Then he entered the Great Hall. James I mean, not Iggy.

"Uhh. Hey Lily!" He said, putting his arm around my shoulder. I moved out from under it, saying "Get lost James."

"OH MY MERLIN LILY LOOK OVER THERE!" I turned to see what he was talking about, but I couldn't see anything. "Potter, there's nothing out there." Sirius cut in front of my vision. "My goodness Lily, did you get a hair cut?"

"No. Sirius what are you doing?"

"Me. Oh… nothing. Just dancing." Then him and James both ran out of the great hall again. I'd think it odd, but it's not like this is the first time James has done something completely stupid.

Just then, Max walked over, looking like she was in an incredibly bad mood. "Ugh, I've had like, the worst day ever!" She said, dropping herself into the chair next to me, while conveniently completely ignoring Iggy. "Oh my gosh, is that Pumpkin Juice?" She exclaimed, reaching for my glass and downing the entire thing. I rolled my eyes, "Thanks a lot Max." She smirked. "No Lily, thank _you_."

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**A/N: Oooh, drama. Someone go get the popcorn! Yeah, so anyways, sorry again that it took so long to get this chapter out to you guys. Don't forget to reviewwwwww. **

**-Awesomegirl13 **


	14. Chapter 14: Well This is Awkward

**A/N: I'm baaaack! Sorry for the long wait, brain block, then "So is That a Yes?" got deleted. I think I've finally got most of the story planned out though, so that's good.**

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_Lily's POV:_

Max is Max is Max. Honestly? She's starting to get on my nerves. I mean, she drank all my pumpkin juice for Merlin's sake! I rolled my eyes after she thanked me for my pumpkin juice, and wandered out into the courtyard. Just another Saturday afternoon at Hogwarts! I sat under my usual tree, and thought for a bit. I hadn't really talked to Sev that much since Hogsmeade, and I wondered why he hadn't been talking to me for awhile. It's almost like every since I started dating Iggy he's been completely ignoring me. Just as I was about to get up and do some homework for History of Magic, Potter walked over. Great.

"Lily! My love! My beautiful angel! Would you like to become my one and only girlfriend?" He said, in a light, airy, sing-songy voice. What a loser. "No Potter, I have a boyfriend. Remember? If you would kindly step out of my way so that I can do my homework, I would be much obliged." He just stood there with his mouth open. "But—But—But-…."

"But what?"

"But… You're supposed to love me!"

"Um, no."

"Yes! I had Love Potion!"

"You what?" I yelled, hardly believing it. That little git spiked my Pumpkin Juice! Pumpkin Juice… Max. I burst out laughing. "What… What's so funny?" James asked, confusion crossing his face. "Max!" I laughed some more. "She drank my!" More laughter. "She drank all my Pumpkin Juice!" James sat there, stunned. This is too good! "So you don't? It didn't?"

"Nope." I replied. As if she knew we were talking about her, Max showed up at the perfect moment. "James! Oh James! I've been looking for you everywhere! Now where did you get off to? Talking to Lily? Hmm, she's much to ugly for a perfect person such as yourself. Do you love me James? I love you! I love you so much! I can shout it off the rooftops if I have to. I LOVE JAMES POTTER! See? We should get married! James! Will you? Will you kiss me James? Oh Lily! Do you think he loves me back?" James just stood there shocked, and I tried to mask the giggles. Max is funny when she's hoplessly in love. "What's so funny Lily? Do you mean? He doesn't? But he has too! I have to make him love me! James? Look, you are as handsome as Taylor Laughtner!"

"Who?"

"We should get married someday! You don't really love that hag, do you?" Ha. Hag indeed. James sputtered, and Max turned, and stalked off. Yes, stalked. To do who knows what. Maybe buy some flowers or something. Sirius, eying Max strangely as she stalked off, walked over to James and Lily. "Aww!" He said, "Would you look at the happy couple?" James shot him a glare. "It didn't work! Max drank all of Lily's Pumpkin Juice! It looks like it wasn't brewed right either, way too strong. Ick! Can you believe it? She's like, head over heels." I laughed even harder. They both turned towards me. "What's so funny?" James asked me. "Now you know how I feel!"

_Fang's POV: _

Right after dinner, Bellatrix and some other 5th year Slytherins dragged me back up the Commons Room to talk. We were all just sitting around, being bored, talking about random stuff, when Regulus, a third year, brought up a name I hadn't heard before. "I swear, the day I turn of age I'll become a Death Eater! Just think about it, serving the Dark Lord. They say he'll rule the entire wizarding world someday."

"Who's the 'Dark Lord?'" I asked. The entire commons room stopped and stared. "Who's the Dark Lord? What kind of a Wizard are you?" Rudolphus asked. Bella silenced him. "Now, now, you can't expect him to know that much about Wizarding. He _is_ an orphan after all. Or something like that. Anywho Fang, I'll tell you all about the Dark Lord! He is incredible. Powerful! The most powerful wizard to ever live. He has harnessed powers and done spells that even Dumbledore cannot master! It would be an honor to serve him, and two years from now, when I turn of age, I, along with many others here, am planning on joining up with him. Who knows? I might even join the Death Eaters sooner!" He sounds like a real creep. Of course, it's not like I'm dumb enough to say that with all these wanna-be Death Eaters hanging around. Almost like a glorified bully on steroids. Instead of saying all I wanted to say, I smirked, and said "Where do I sign up?" The conversation moved forward from there.

Somewhere in the conversation, someone brought up Gryffindor. Bellatrix shrieked. "I almost forgot! We have that Quiditch game against Gryffindor tomorrow! It'll be an insta-win probably though. I hear that new girl Max is playing. What position? Beater? No matter. She'll probably suck anyways, bet she's never held a quaffle in her life." Being around Hogwarts for almost half a year, I've picked up on what Quiditch was. I guess it's the season then. Max. She said something to me during her rant about being on the Quiditch team. It's pretty obvious my attitude's fazed her a lot. That wasn't my intention. She's being so self-justifiably angry she seems to be missing the big picture here. Obviously this Lord of Darkness guy is not a good thing, and while I'm over here gathering information, she's probably moping about my attitude, or better yet, making out with that Dylan kid. I swear, if I didn't care about protecting her so much, I'd drop all pretext of hating her just so I could knock some sense into her brain. "Faaaang? Fangyyy?" I heard Bellatrix whisper in my ear. "You in there somewhere? Come on! Sometimes it's like you're always stuck in that head of yours." And she continued babbling. She's almost as bad as Nudge.

_Creature's POV:_

I stalk closer to my prey. Easy enough targets, as they are just children. I make my move. All for my creators. I will take them all alive, and bring them back for my creators. I will be rewarded. I will be great. I am a survivor. I will be rewarded. I will be great.

_Max's POV: _

I have never been this embarrassed in my life. Love Potion! How was I supposed to know? Ugh, that James Potter! What _was_ he thinking? He's too obsessed with Lily. In case you were wondering, once the Love Potion wore off, I hid in my room for a long, long, long time. Where'd he get love potion anyways? Of course, I didn't need revenge. James's shock, plus his fear that I wouldn't play in the Quiditch game, were definitely enough to keep him miserable for awhile. Now don't get me wrong, I _do_ have a sense of humor. In fact, I sort of wish I was there to see the look on James's face when he realized he'd had a mix-up! Of course, I _can_ trace this all the way back to Fang. If he wasn't such a jerk, I never would have been in a bad mood, so I never would have drank all the Pumpkin Juice. Of course, I wouldn't want to blame Fang, would I? He's just too perfect.

Wait, where was I? Oh. Yeah. Quiditch game. I'm a beater, which apparently means I hit people in the head with bludgers. Sounds good to me! I've always been pretty decent with a club. Besides the fact that we're playing Slytherin tomorrow, and if I injure anyone, they'll be from Slytherin. You'd think I'd be a bit nervous for my first game, but I'm more excited than anything else. Gryffindor's gonna rock it tonight!

Our team arrives at the pitch early. Feeling awesome-like-a-wizard in my super-cool Quiditch robes, I got some practice time on my broom. That's my one problem with Quiditch. I mean, you'd think being bird-kid mutant who flies would make brooms no problem, right? Wrong. I'm so used to just using my wings, that using a broom is a totally different thing. Being up in the air makes my wings itch, and there's nothing in the world I want more than to just stretch out my wings and fly. Beneath me I can see students crowding in the stands to watch the big game. I glanced around instinctively to find my flock. I saw them all, scattered across the stands in different places. For some odd reason, I had a flashback to that Cowboys game we went to last year. With Fang obsessing over the cheerleaders, and trying to describe them to Iggy. Nudge talking on and on about how she'd never seen a football game before, and how excited she was. Gazzy and Angel sharing some good-old football game food. As miserable as I was at the time, it seems like a pretty good memory now.

I look back down, jolting out of my train of thoughts, to see James and the other players waving me back down again. "Max! Don't start flying until they blow the whistle, okay? You saw the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw game, right? So you know what to do? Remember what we practiced!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know! I'll do awesome, promise." I assured. After awhile, the whistle blew and the game began. I flew up in the air on my broom, all the while wishing I could just use my wings. If I could just stretch them out, would it really be a bad thing if we were found out?—No. Snap out of it Max! I look around for a bludger flying towards our seeker. I speed up, channel my excitement and anger, and hit the bludger as hard as I can towards Bellatrix Black, Slytherin Chaser. It hit her square in the chest and she was knocked off her broom. Unfortunately, she has some talent, and managed to swing back up again with her hands. Even more unfortunately, I was too busy laughing silently at Bellatrix to notice the bludger coming straight at me from the Slytherin beater. Before I could actually process what was happening, I was off my broom, plummeting towards the ground from who-knows-how-high. It seemed almost like the entire crowd was holding their breath, and I thought for a second that this could actually seriously hurt me. Fifteen feet from the ground however, I whipped out my wings and plummeted upwards.

It felt incredible. After going this long without flying, stretching my wings and touching the sky without the use of a broom felt like absolute bliss. I did some loops for good measure, and went full speed ahead for a few miles before coming straight back again. I flew so high up, just like normal, that I was able to reach out my hand and touch a cloud. I don't understand why I didn't do this earlier! I replayed it in my head: Falling, falling, falling, swoop. Up in the air and touching the sky. I shouted who-knows-what, just because I could. I did a few twirls, and started plummeting back towards the ground. It was just me and the sky! Except… it sort of wasn't. Once I landed on the ground again, I realized that I had just given out a little aerial show for all of Hogwarts. I also realized that every single person was staring at me, and that I had just definitely blown my cover. I let out a little giggle- yes, a giggle- and took a few steps backwards. Grabbing my broom this time, I folded my wings, and got back into the sky. "So…" I said awkwardly, hating being the center of attention, "We gonna play some Quiditch?"

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**A/N: There we go! A nice long chapter for you guys. No promises here, but I'm hoping to get the next chapter out pretty soon. I already have a good plan of what's going to happen in it, all I have to do is write it out. As you could probably tell, I was writing more like Fang&Angel Max, than Kick-Butt-Awesome-First-Three-Books-Max. So I'm trying to move more towards the latter again. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm hoping to get some more written soon! **


	15. Chapter 15: And Then Things Got Worse

**A/N: So guess what? I'm back again. *applause* I just reread the second MR book, then I reread Angel, and realized the huge, tragic difference. Crazy stuff. Anyways, got this chapter out as soon as I could, and I hope you all love it! It's a pretty long chapter, and it took me a few days to write.**

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_Max's POV:_

The next few weeks were some of the most surreal I've ever experienced… Aside from the whole 'everyone-knows-about-our-wings' thing, not much happened. Of course, that fact alone earned us a firm and tight spot on the 'who-to-whisper-about-first-list.' Yes, for several weeks "Those New Kids" were the talk of the school. Of course, you _all _know how much I just _love_ attention. Of course I wasn't worried about consequences, and I didn't think _at all_ about leaving Hogwarts. _No_, I was just _so_ content to stay in my own little bubble of me, playing dolls and gossiping about gossip. (This paragraph is brought to you by _Sarcasm_, the language of the saints.) I was furious with myself for being so stupid. Most of me felt that I should have just let myself fall, and the rest of my knew that blowing our cover would be inevitable. As much as I wanted to get up and bolt, I stayed firm and planted. Waiting out the storm. This is how the next few weeks went: Fang was Fang. Iggy was Iggy. Nudge was Nudge. The Marauders were Marauders, and Lily was Lily. Dylan was odd. Max was… well… I'm pretty wacked up. That make you happy?

It was a colorful blur of awkward Hogsmeade weekends, drama, curious eyes, kick butt action (not really, just a second year fight between Nudge's exes,) and coming-of-age-paranormal-teen-literature-esque scenes. Fun! I'm not going to go _to_ into detail, but this is the best recreation I can do for you:

_Scene 1: Back in the Commons Room_

_Everyone Around Me: Oh Max! Can I touch them? They rock! How? Why? Where did they come from? Why didn't you tell us about them? Those are SO COOL! _

_Everyone Behind My Back: Is she some kind of freak? What's wrong with her? Why didn't she tell us? Do you think she's working with You-Know-Who? I hear all her other siblings are the same way. She's not some kind of monster, is she? She's definitely a Witch? _

_Scene 2: How I Imagine it Went with Fang_

_Fangs Uber-Perfect-Girlfriend: Oh Fangypoo! I love you so much, especially with your hot new wings! You're so mysterious and hot, like a sexy black panther! _Did I just think that? _Lets kiss and make evil plans together! Become a death eater with me! Blah blah blah blah I'm a Slytherin Princess WHEEE!_

_Fang: *Acts like a rock.*_

So as you can see, I'm… well… I'm not sure what I'm feeling about the whole situation. Worried, relieved, terrified, excited, frickin awesome… Yeah. Those sum it up.

Of course, moving on to some happier scenes, Christmas time was almost upon us! Apparently, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Europe. Who knew? When the time came, I had a few flashback moments to that time at Anne's. How she was so worried about the Turkey popping, and then: Those Pies! My god, those pies were the tastiest things in the universe. As I soon found out, the only thing better than Thanksgiving feasts, are Christmas Feasts at Hogwarts. MAN they really go all out! Imagine every delicious food you've ever tasted in your life, then spread them all across a large table. Yep, that would be the Hogwarts Christmas Feast.

After the feast, I'd arranged for us to travel back to Arizona for the break to surprise my Mom, Angel and Gazzy, and Ella. As a flock, that was the one thing we really could agree on. I could hardly wait to wrap my arms around Angel again, I hadn't seen her since September. Who knew? Maybe Iggy and Gazzy would even start building bombs again. Just like old times.

I was just digging into my fifth serving of mashed potatoes with prime rib, when an owl dropped a note in front of me. What the-? I read the note. It was from Dumbledude. Summoning me and the rest of the flock to his office at 8:00 o'clock tonight. That's just _dandy._ It's about seven-ish right now, so that just meant another hour sitting here awkwardly. I'd lost my appetite, something that rarely happens, and all I could think about were the possibilities for why the Headmaster of a Magical School for Wizards would want to speak to a Hybrid Avian/Human Recumbinate DNA Life Form right before Winter Break…

Want to hear a fun fact? I was sitting alone. At a Christmas feast. What? Don't look surprised, I mean, you know me! I'm little miss independent! I'm a loner. Of course, as normal, a few girls from my house were sitting across from me whispering about, guess what? Me! "Mind if I cut in?" I whispered, leaning in to join them. They exchanged looks with each other, then continued eating like they didn't even know each other. Stupid third years.

I stabbed at the fruit cup in front of me, when a voice next to me said, "Hey. That's not nice! I mean, didn't you ever think about how the fruit feel? Just imagine it: Little fruit momma's getting stabbed in the heart, and the little fruit baby's having no one to turn to. They cry, and run to their dad's. Then! Out of the blue! Dad gets stabbed. It's all over for them." I turned around to see that it was Sirius next to me. Surprisingly enough, I was more surprised than I should have been. Surprise! I thought back at what he said about the fruit families, and couldn't help but laugh. It was kind of funny. He looked down at my foot. "You nervous?" For the first time I noticed that I had been tapping it. Stupid nervous habits. So much for the macho-don't-mess-with-me-personality. "What? Oh. No," I said, "Not nervous… I'm just… Well, I'm… listening to imaginary music in my head?"

"Like who?" He asked, and I gave a sigh of relief that he was playing along a bit. Last thing I needed was a Marauder getting into my private business. "How about, how about Green Day? Katy Perry? Bach? Some random whack job country singer? Mix up the genres a little bit." He looked at me confused, and I realized that _of course_ he wouldn't be familiar with Muggle artists. Think Max, think. "How about Wicked Sisters?" A look of recognition dawned on his face. "Okay," He said, laughing a bit. "I guess if you're going to make up fake reasons for tapping your foot nervously, listening to Wicked Sisters in your head is definitely a very valid one." I laughed a bit back. Maybe I misjudged him? After all, he seems to be the only one talking to me tonight… not that I care. We talked for a bit more, but then silence kicked in a bit. I took the time to switch to some serious. Serious Sirius? What is this nonsense? "What's with you?" I asked, a little more accusation in my voice than I had planned. "What do you mean?" He asked back. I shrugged. "I mean, you're Marauder through and through, right? You hate my brother, you prank people for no reason, you're hysterically hyper and stupid one second, then the next you'll sit in quiet and meditate on meanings and such for hours. Don't think no one notices. And now, what? You're talking to me? You know I have wings, and that I'm sort of a freak around these parts, but you don't even care? It's not like I've been miss popularity the last few weeks."

Now it was his turn to shrug. "Your wings are pretty cool. I probably wouldn't hate Iggy if it weren't for the fact that I practically live with James, we've been best friends since I came to Hogwarts, and he stole James's true love. You're not a freak around these parts. Everyone's just a bit shocked, that's all, and you haven't exactly been warm and fuzzy."

"Thanks?"

"And I don't think I can even give an explanation about my personality. That's just something people need to learn to live with." He said it all with a smile in his voice, so I knew he was genuine, yet joking a bit at the same time. Unique, I guess. I mentally give myself a pat on the back. Look Max! You made another friend! He continued on. "Now you owe me some explanation." I braced myself a bit, mentally taking back the pat, before he said "What's with _your _personality? I mean, you're crazy one second, and sane the next. Angry one, happy the next. You hate your family one second, and get over protective of them the next. It would be comical if I wasn't under most of the scorn and anger." He finished, laughing a bit again. No wings. "What time is it?" I asked, not bothering to give him an explanation of Maximum Ride's signature personality. "Almost eight."

"Shoot, I have to go. Need to meet with Dumbledore for an emergency."

"Oh, wow. What for? Is everything okay?" I hesitated for a bit… almost thinking of telling him a little of what I've been worrying about. Angel still hasn't answered that letter and—No. Don't trust anyone. Never trust anyone. You're on your own Max, remember? "Yeah." I said, "Everything's fine." Then I got up, turned, and left the hall.

I walked noiselessly down the hall to Dumbledude's office. Unsurprisingly, things were uber quiet because of all the festivities happening in the Great Hall, but every once in awhile when I turned and walked down a corridor, I would see some of Hogwarts ghosts wishing each other a Merry Holiday. I turned another corner, and I was there. At the two gargoyles. I stood there awkwardly a second, before realizing that I didn't even know the password. I felt a chill, like, something completely cold. "Chocolate Frogs" Fang said, then he walked in, and I followed.

Iggy and Nudge were already inside, plus, brace yourself for this, my mother. "Mom?" I said, running into the office. "Ah," Began Dumbledore. "I see you've arrived. Maximum, your mother arrived just shortly before you did. It seems there's been an emergency."

"Max!" My mom said, running towards me to give me a large, stuffy hug. I just love hugs. "It's Ella! And Angel and Gazzy, they're—" She broke into sobs. I felt my heart jump a thousand miles into my feet. My babies. Dumbledore took my mothers sobs as a queue to finish talking himself. "They have gone missing. From what I could gather, no one has seen and heard from them for several weeks." My mom regained composure, and said "They went on a trip with Ella's school, and… they were only supposed to be gone for two weeks, but three weeks went by and they hadn't come back—" Her voice broke. "I waited for another couple weeks to come and tell you, I didn't want to worry you if it ended up being… I thought maybe they'd left again. Come to find you, something like that. But… The police, they haven't… they haven't found them yet." She sunk down into the chair behind her, her face a perfect picture of complete and utter sadness. My eyes darted towards the rest of the flock. They were completely still. I sunk down into the chair next to my mother, my face a black canvas of absolutely no emotion. A stark contrast. I could barely make myself feel anything, I couldn't feel anything. "One more thing." Dumbledore continued, "Dylan, the other boy like you, which I'm sure you've all gotten to know by now, has also gone missing this morning. He hasn't returned."

That's when everything went a bit black.

_Dylan's POV: _

"I need to see The Dark Lord."

"What business do you have with him? Why, you're just a boy! Fifteen at most. Come back when you've aged a few years, then we'll see what the Dark Lord will have to do with you."

"My business with The Dark Lord is exactly that- My business. It's strictly between me and him. Of course, if you would like to go in and tell him exactly why you won't let his faithful servant in to see him, then that's okay with me."

"I'll just… Come, follow me… My Lord! A young boy is here to see you."

"Dylan… Wonderful. Black, you may go."

"Yes, my Lord."

"My Lord! I've come with news. The plan is going wonderfully, and Felicia is prepared to deal with the children."

"Perfect! What news have you of Maximum Ride? I would like you to tell me _everything_."

"Yes, my Lord."

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**A/N: Bum bum buhhhhhhhh. *ominous music* Anywho, thanks for reading! It means a whole lot to me :) Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to write another chapter again soon!**

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_Follow me on Twitter!: megAmazingness_


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